Last Wednesday, on October 13, I also went to the Stephanie and Saar concert at Lefrak Hall and I loved it. I thought that the pieces played were very beautiful, and both Stephanie and Saar played with such passion and energy. It was fun to listen to them play, but also to watch how they communicated with each other during their performances. They would energetically nod their heads to signal each other during the trickier parts of the piece, so that they would play their notes together.
I loved Professor Smaldone’s piece, “Secret of the Earth” from Transformational Etudes because it was very different from the other pieces played during the concert. It put the audience in the piece since it had such a mysterious and darker tone, and because of the strong mood of the piece, I was instantly absorbed by it. Another favorite of mine was Rob Schwimmer’s CcHhOoPpIiNn nNiIpPoOhHcC, which if you couldn’t tell from the name, references Chopin. It was a really fun piece to listen to, and definitely reminded me of Chopin’s work.
I thoroughly enjoyed this concert because it was the first time I saw a performance of just two pianists. The Bright Sheng performance we went to had more variety in the instruments played, which kept the audience more excited for the other pieces that were coming up. However, I thought that this concert was equally, if not more, entertaining because it explored different themes and different types of pieces through the use of just two pianos, which provided an easy comparison between the different pieces that were played.
Glad you enjoyed the concert. It is interesting that you preferred Secret of the Earth. As an artist, it is important to remember that the adage “less is more” applies from time to time. My musical aesthetic is certainly NOT minimalist, but I appreciate the effect that this spare movement tends to have. Thanks for the observations.