Fire and Fantasia at St. John’s in the Village Episcopal Church (Site)

Chopin – Prokofiev – Liszt – Scriabin – Mendelssohn – Beethoven

Prepare for an evening of musical extremes— where intimacy becomes intensity, lyricism becomes fire, and the piano moves from solitary storytelling to the shared drama of chamber music.

Fire and Fantasia invites you into a musical journey shaped by both imagination and the moment. The evening begins with a freely curated solo program, drawing on selected Chopin Preludes and the haunting repertoire originally prepared for Michele Garzo’s The Haunted Keyboard. Rather than following a fixed sequence, Michele will choose the selections during the performance, allowing the atmosphere of the evening to guide the music.

Expect contrasts: whispered poetry and sudden storms, spectral visions and blazing virtuosity. Alongside selections from Chopin’s Preludes, Op. 28, the solo repertoire may include his Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35, “Funeral March”; Liszt’s Funérailles and Feux follets; Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 9, Op. 68, “Black Mass”; and Prokofiev’s electrifying Toccata, Op. 11. The exact selections and their sequence will remain a surprise until the music unfolds.

This is not an improvised performance of the works themselves, but a spontaneous journey through carefully prepared repertoire-a personal expression of the freedom and imagination at the heart of Fire and Fantasia.

The stage then expands into the passionate world of chamber music with Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49. Hailed as one of the great masterpieces of the piano-trio repertoire, it brings together piano, violin, and cello in a score of sweeping melodies, restless drama, and radiant Romantic imagination. The piano remains a commanding presence, yet now becomes part of a three-way conversation—by turns intimate, tempestuous, tender, and triumphant. Mendelssohn’s brilliant finale surges forward with irresistible momentum, carrying the audience into music of breathless energy and radiant release.

The concert culminates in Ludwig van Beethoven’s legendary Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47, “Kreutzer.” Monumental in scale and astonishing in its emotional and technical demands, the “Kreutzer” Sonata is a revolutionary work in which violin and piano meet as full equals. It begins in mystery and suspense, erupts into audacious virtuosity, and continually tests the limits of both performers through its emotional range, rhythmic intensity, and fearless brilliance.

From intimate visions to blazing attacks, from Mendelssohn’s Romantic surge to Beethoven’s thrilling final confrontation, Fire and Fantasia offers a rare opportunity to experience the piano at the center of several towering musical worlds.

Program

Solo piano

A selection from works by Chopin, Liszt, Scriabin, and Prokofiev. Exact selections and sequence will be chosen during the performance.

Chamber music

Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49

Ludwig van Beethoven
Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47, “Kreutzer”

Program update: The previously announced complete Chopin Preludes will be replaced by selected Preludes within an expanded, freely curated solo program. The chamber-music program remains unchanged.

An evening not to miss

From whispered confessions to spectral visions and volcanic virtuosity, from Mendelssohn’s Romantic sweep to Beethoven’s fearless drama, Fire and Fantasia reveals the piano in all its power and imagination. A spontaneous solo journey meets the exhilarating dialogue of chamber music—an evening of poetry, passion, and discovery, where the next musical turn is part of the surprise.

Join for an evening of unforgettable music—where lyricism meets fire, intimacy meets grandeur, and every work leaves the stage charged with a different kind of magic.

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About the Performer

Italian pianist/musicologist and rising star Michele Garzo has been acclaimed for his dazzling virtuosity and emotional depth. A former prodigy who began piano at seven, earned top honors early and completed advanced studies with distinction in Italy and United States, he now performs across premier New York stages, combining fearless technique with deep poetic insight. His performances have a cinematic beauty— part fire, part dream.

Do not miss the chance to hear a pianist who unites fearless intensity with lyrical refinement in one of classical music’s most electrifying programs.