Pianist Barnes to mark CD release with Jan. 15 recital

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music will present a recital celebrating the international release of pianist Paul Barnes' latest CD, "The American Virtuoso: Paul Barnes plays the music of Philip Glass, Samuel Barber, and Joan Tower."

Barnes will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 in Kimball Recital Hall. Tickets are $5 general admission and $3 for students and seniors, and will be available at the door approximately one hour before the performance.

Championing the music of America's most influential composers, Barnes will release his 11th CD featuring the world-premier recording of Barnes' solo transcription of Philip Glass's Piano Concerto No. 2 (After Lewis and Clark). The concerto was written for Barnes to commemorate the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and he has performed it on both coasts collaborating with conductors including Marin Alsop and Victor Yampolsky. Barnes premiered his solo transcription in New York City in April 2007. The CD also includes Samuel Barber's monumental piano sonata and selected music of Joan Tower.

Barnes, professor and co-chair of piano at UNL, has electrified audiences with his intensely expressive playing and cutting-edge programming. The New York Times described his performance as "Lisztian thunder supplied with deft fluidity," while the San Francisco Chronicle described it as "ferociously virtuosic." Barnes has been featured four times on APM's Performance Today and on the cover of Clavier Magazine. For more information, visit www.paulbarnes.net.