November 26, 2011
(click on image to return)
There
is something very satisfying in hearing a superbly good pianist in
recital. But even better was watching him give a master class to
six budding young piano students. On Saturday afternoon before
the evening Guest Artist Series concert, he very kindly and subtly
taught them techniques for playing with more expression. He gave
different suggestions to each student, but all of the students could
apply all of them. And they listened and learned, and by the end
of the class I could hear the difference in their playing. It's
no surprise that he received the highest Bucknell University award for
"inspirational teaching."
Then Barry went on to thrill an adult audience with an evening of truly delightful and dazzling pieces. The concert began with eight waltzes by Enrique Granados, who composed in the late 19th century. The waltzes were wonderfully showy and melodic, each very different: some dramatic, some light and gay, some furiously fast. Then Barry's program moved on to three very surprising works: Scott-Joplin-type rags written in the 1970s by University of Michigan professor William Albright, who wrote them in a fun competition with a composer at another institution. They were definitely in the ragtime style, but with 20th century twists. They were typically longer, more intricate, with unusual chords and several dramatic pauses for effect. I was particularly taken with "The Queen of Sheba" rag.
Then it was back to Granados, with an Allegro de Concierto that had one musical phrase repeated over and over in different keys and harmonies, all linked with beautiful melodies and played with flair and feeling. All of the music he played in this first part was just plain fun.
After the intermission Barry played three lovely pieces by Sergei Rachmaninov, another late 19th century composer. Lush, lively, dramatic--all these are adjectives that can be applied to this composer and his works, and I would use "impressive" to describe Barry's playing of the these pieces. The Francis Poulenc works that followed showed off his skill even more clearly, with the lyrical and flowing Intermezzo and his fingers flying on the Mouvements perpetuels piece.
The program ended on a lighter note with three pieces by Zes Confrey, who was an arranger and composer contemporary with George Gershwin. Barry explained that Confrey was actually more well-known than Gershwin until the two of them gave a concert called "An Experiment in Modern Music" and Gershwin played Rhapsody in Blue. Barry played Confrey's most well-known work, Kitten on the Keys, and those skilled fingers flew even faster.
This concert was Barry Hannigan's second appearance here, and it was just as terrific and the first one. He explains the history and genres of the pieces like the good teacher he is, and his performances are both technically superb and well interpreted. Bravo!
Nancy MacRae, Schellsburg
Then Barry went on to thrill an adult audience with an evening of truly delightful and dazzling pieces. The concert began with eight waltzes by Enrique Granados, who composed in the late 19th century. The waltzes were wonderfully showy and melodic, each very different: some dramatic, some light and gay, some furiously fast. Then Barry's program moved on to three very surprising works: Scott-Joplin-type rags written in the 1970s by University of Michigan professor William Albright, who wrote them in a fun competition with a composer at another institution. They were definitely in the ragtime style, but with 20th century twists. They were typically longer, more intricate, with unusual chords and several dramatic pauses for effect. I was particularly taken with "The Queen of Sheba" rag.
Then it was back to Granados, with an Allegro de Concierto that had one musical phrase repeated over and over in different keys and harmonies, all linked with beautiful melodies and played with flair and feeling. All of the music he played in this first part was just plain fun.
After the intermission Barry played three lovely pieces by Sergei Rachmaninov, another late 19th century composer. Lush, lively, dramatic--all these are adjectives that can be applied to this composer and his works, and I would use "impressive" to describe Barry's playing of the these pieces. The Francis Poulenc works that followed showed off his skill even more clearly, with the lyrical and flowing Intermezzo and his fingers flying on the Mouvements perpetuels piece.
The program ended on a lighter note with three pieces by Zes Confrey, who was an arranger and composer contemporary with George Gershwin. Barry explained that Confrey was actually more well-known than Gershwin until the two of them gave a concert called "An Experiment in Modern Music" and Gershwin played Rhapsody in Blue. Barry played Confrey's most well-known work, Kitten on the Keys, and those skilled fingers flew even faster.
This concert was Barry Hannigan's second appearance here, and it was just as terrific and the first one. He explains the history and genres of the pieces like the good teacher he is, and his performances are both technically superb and well interpreted. Bravo!
Nancy MacRae, Schellsburg