Montfort - Repertoire

Seth Montfort – Repertoire

“ . . . [a] man who can memorize over 100 works, and we're talking complicated works here, send them from memory to fingertips and then while he's at it, throw in a heap of astounding technique, showmanship and sensual grace to nearly blow the roof from its rafters.”– The Pacifica Tribune

“one of our local heroes . . . consistently presenting high quality concerts to the public at affordable prices” – AOL Digital City

My repertoire is split rather equally between works from The Old World (Europe) and the New World (North and South America). I usually give a bit of the history of most works before I perform them. This is one of the assets of performing in intimate venues - not to mention that music has more emotional impact when you are near the performer and can actually see and hear the performance to full effect.

About My Old World/New World Repertoire

1. Either From Or Inspired By The New World
Music of the America's goes way beyond the well known Gottschalk, Joplin and Gershwin. Though many of the works from the New World were once famous or still famous elsewhere, most of them are unfamiliar to local audiences. During the 20th century melodic, harmonic and even rhythmic American composers never had much support. They had to compose in spite of everything. During the 20th Century Modernist Era many American musicians struggled to be "great composers" but no longer saw melody, harmony and rhythm as essential paths toward greatness. But all you have to do is look for American music that communicates without getting old quick and you will find plenty of enduring works that stay fresh through memorable melodies harmonies and rhythms. I do play The Complete works of Gershwin, Scott Joplin's Greatest Hits and more than 50 permanently memorized works in the Ragtime vein from all over the world that are more difficult to play than any of my extensive European virtuoso repertoire. But my American repertoire goes way beyond Ragtime all the way from evocative Civil War Era works to once famous American Indianists to Ponce, Villa-Lobos and many rare, inspired works from Latin America.

2. From The Old World
I used to be pegged as a Chopin specialist and I am certainly more of a “Chopinist” now than I was then. But when I was first starting out I won more contests with Bach and Mozart than Chopin. Lately I'm remembering I could just as easily be a specialist in Germanic repertoire including Beethoven and Schubert - currently all in my repertoire and not because I want to be taken “seriously” either. I also play plenty of other standard repertoire from Liszt to Faure, Satie, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and Ravel, etc. Anyone who wants to “figure me out” probably should just let go of that idea until hearing my own compositions, particularly my unfinished hour long Old World Piano Symphony and 2 hour long Aztec Piano Symphony, neither of which is likely to be completed for a few months.

During the Guerneville summer tourist season most of the repertoire below is always ready and memorized for each and every concert. If you want to be sure to hear any work below, call 707-604-7600 or email seth@sfconcerto.org.

14. Three Nocturnes, Opus 27 - No. 1 in c^# minor, No. 2 in D^b, Opus 48 - No. 1 in c minor

6. Tchaikovsky Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Waltz of the Flowers from Nutcracker Suite (Tchaikovsky’s own piano arrangements)

4. Richard Hoffman Dixiana; Caprice for pianoforte on the Popular Negro Minstrel’s Melody “Dixie Land” Negro Minstrel Tune

3. Rachmaninoff “The Tornado” Etude Tableaux in e^b minor, Opus 33 No. 6