Pianamerica: A Festival of American Piano Music (Part I)

For my first concert report, I decided to attend Pianamerica: A Festival of American Piano Music (Part I) in Hockett Family Recital Hall this past Tuesday, September 16th at 7:00 pm. Undergraduate and graduate solo pianists of Jennifer Hayghe's studio performed an array of songs pertaining to the styles of jazz, classical, and ragtime.

One thing I took note of the raw emotions that the performers put into themselves. As climatic moments reach in the songs, I saw waves of energy and intensity burst out of each one of them as they slammed the piano keys hard with enthusiasm and as their bodies swayed back and forth on the piano bench. As a member of the audience, I could feel that same wave hit myself and I was able to experience the same liveliness as the performers were expresses themselves through their performances.

My favorite performance of them all was actually the very first one performed by sophomore Alexander Simakas. Alexander played "Seven Virtuoso Etudes on Gershwin Songs" which included the likes of "Sombody Loves Me", "Embraceable You" and "I Got Rhythm". The piece in its entirety seemed ballad-like, characterized by its long, flowing chromatic phrases which led into short and slow phrases. It sounded so beautiful and silky, like a playing a harp almost. Alexander proved to be a wiz as well with his precise dynamic changes. His soft striking of the keys further exemplified the tranquil, romantic aura of the piece.

I also loved Alexander Greenberg and Chenqui Wang's ragtime charts, "Desire Rag" and "Graceful Ghost Rag". Both songs were different, however. When I think of rag music, I immediately think swing music. "Desire Rag" was not what I expected of a ragtime tune. It wasn't swung, but it was up-tempo, and it had a dancing and jiving quality to it. Actually, it made me think of the stereotypical music you would here in a saloon in an old western film. As for "Graceful Ghost Rag", this song fell along the lines of what I initially expected since it swung more than the previous song.

Comparing the music I heard to the music I have listened to in class, I can connect the music at Pianamerica to folk music on a narrative level. Though there weren't any lyrics in any of the compositions, I was able to picture a story in my head with the music being played by the solo pianists. Through Alexander Simakas' music, I imagined someone mesmerized by someone else they have a grave passion towards and is overcome with glee after discovering that that person has mutual feelings for him/her.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to IC's brightest pianists. In fact, there were certain points within the program that I wanted to hop up on stage and play along with the musicians. On the other hand, I felt as if there wasn't much of a variation in moods through each song. The majority of the tunes conveyed more of a mellow, dramatic vibe, which I did enjoy. Throughout the show, I was yearning for some sort of shift in feeling, whether it was happy-go-lucky, or gloomy and dreary, just to mix it up a little bit. Saying that I was bored throughout the entire concert would be an utter lie. I was most certainly touched and moved by some of the music, but I wasn't shaken and rattled by the show in total. Maybe I thought this way because in my concert and jazz bands in high school, I was used to playing music with different textures and emotions.