Sunday, December 13, 2026

Reading Retreat's 30th Anniversary Party

Celebrate 30 years of Reading Retreats in Rural Italy by the fireplace with Jakub Tchorzewski's piano recital of Johann Sebastian Bach's thirty Goldberg Variations.

Some anniversaries call for a special evening. On Sunday, December 13, we are celebrating 30 years of Reading Retreats in Rural Italy with a piano recital, cocktails and a buffet before the music, and dessert afterwards. We can settle by the fireplace and enjoy the music; Jakub Tchorzewski will be the one putting his fingers, brain and the rest of himself to work.

Bach at the piano

Our Polish friend Jakub Tchorzewski has offered to perform the aria and thirty Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, by Johann Sebastian Bach, published in 1741. It is an extraordinarily demanding program: the variations were written for a double-manual harpsichord, and some passages involve notoriously challenging hand-crossings when played on a single piano. Only a virtuoso would make such a generous offer. We were delighted to accept.

For a taste of Jakub's playing, here's his performance of Chopin's Ballade Op. 23: watch the video on YouTube.

And to hear the work at the heart of the recital, here's the aria and thirty Goldberg Variations performed by Kimiko Ishizaka, with the score on screen.

Program & practical information

Date: Sunday, December 13, 2026
Time: from 7 pm; cocktails and buffet before the music, dessert afterwards
Venue: Podere Il Cerro
Seating: 40 places in the living room

Seating is limited, so please reserve soon. Rooms in the house will fill quickly too; once they are full, we will be happy to suggest local B&Bs for friends who would like to stay in the area and head home on Monday morning.

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