Concert Recap: My Concert at Miami University

I had a great time performing at Miami University on Sunday afternoon. There was a nice mix of audience members: various music students including several from the piano area, my colleagues, and the local townspeople. After the concert, I learned from a colleague that one of the students in the audience was attending his first classical music concert! Apparently, he was a non-music major doing a concert review for our Music Appreciation class. The reactions from this demographic type always fascinate me because these people usually express their reactions to the music in a raw, emotional, and unfiltered way, especially with the little musical knowledge that they have. Sometimes with performing musicians, we can focus too much on the cerebral process, and we lose sight of our primary duty: to communicate the emotions and intentions of the composers through their music. In any case, I hope that this new concert goer enjoyed his first classical musical concert and that I was able to make a lasting impression!

Featured on the program was Brahms Sonata, Op. 1, a movement from Messiaen's Twenty Contemplations on the infant Jesus, Liszt's The Fountains of Villa d'Este, and several Fairy Tales by Nikolai Medtner. Something that brought me sheer satisfaction was that several audience members expressed their enthusiasm in my performance of the Medtner. To me, many of Medtner's works require several listenings to reach that acquired taste, so I am glad that my performance of his music was able to make a quick impact. Very encouraging signs as I begin to learn music for the second volume of the Medtner recording project. In a couple months, I will share what I will be recording for the second installment of the nine-disc set as well as update you on the release date of the first album. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading!