Pianist Paul Lewis returns to Cal Performances with a recital grounded in the Classical and Romantic repertory and shaped by his close attention to musical structure and inner character. His interpretations balance intellectual clarity with an emotional response that serves the score rather than overwhelming it.

Two Mozart sonatas frame the program: the Piano Sonata in D major, K. 284 and the beloved Sonata in A major, K. 331. Between them, Mendelssohn’s virtuosic Variations sérieuses, Op. 54 meets Aaron Copland’s rarely heard, enigmatic Piano Variations, a work of prophetic hardness and concentrated modern expression.