Tomorrow, April 6 at 8 p.m., the UConn Piano Studio in the School of Fine Arts will be holding their annual Piano Project concert. Every spring semester, students of all years studying piano, from undergraduate freshmen to doctoral students along with their instructors, get together to perform at von der Mehden Recital Hall in a spectacular display. These concerts usually center around a theme that all the pieces follow, this year’s theme is pieces for four to eight hands. And seeing as how a single person usually doesn’t have that many hands, these pieces will be performed by up to four people at once.
The concert will start with an arrangement of the overture to Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart for eight hands, played by instructors Angelina Gadeliya, Javor Bračić, Dmitriy Glivinsky, and doctoral student Anthony Bonamici. Even if you don’t recognize the name, this overture is famous for its lighthearted feel and is a perfect showcase of Mozart’s brilliance. To replicate the enormity of an entire orchestra, this arrangement must be played on two separate pianos, and just imagine the effort in coordinating four different pianists at the same time.
After that, the first movement of Claude Debussy’s “Petite Suite” will be played by Gadeliya and Bračić. Debussy was a titan of impressionist music, and his music is often described as having a French quality to it. If you know Debussy’s works such as “Clair de lune” and “La fille aux cheveux de lin,” you’ll already be familiar with his signature ethereal sound that mixes the emotional and spacey. If you love those pieces, you’ll love this one even more. Its name “en bateau” translates to “on a boat,” a fitting name for the waves of sound that rock back and forth.
Various parts from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Suites for Two Pianos” are in the program, played by students of Dr. Gadeliya. These suites are earlier works from Rachmaninoff, but they show his iconic late Romantic sound. His work is known for its drama and grandiosity, pushing the limits of the piano’s expressivity. He was also infamous among pianists for having giant hands and writing pieces that take advantage of them, which make parts of his music nearly impossible for people with a normal handspan to play. With two pianos, Rachmaninoff was able to reach even greater heights. The sheer range and speed of notes makes this impossible to play on one piano, but it works beautifully on two.
Another highlight of the concert will be Zoltan Almashi’s “Carpathian Song for Two Pianos.” Instead of being composed centuries ago, this piece was written in 2022. Born in 1975 in Lviv, Ukraine, Almashi took inspiration from his homeland of western Ukraine and wrote a piece based on the region’s folk songs. It passes through a wide range of emotions with a sound that’s both familiar and new. The ending is especially chilling, subtly fading into nothingness on a mysterious or contemplative note.
The last piece in the concert will be “Variations on a Theme by Paganini for Two Pianos” by Witold Lutosławski. This theme from Paganini’s “Caprice, No. 24” is one of his most famous works. It’s widely regarded as one of the most difficult violin pieces out there and is a testament to the man who — according to legend — had his soul sold to the devil by his mother so he could become a great violinist. This theme is also famous for the variations made on it, such as those by Brahms and Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Lutosławski added to this collection with a stunning and virtuosic work for two pianos.
These are only half of the pieces being played at the concert! If this interests you, come to von der Mehden Recital Hall near Storrs Center at 8 p.m. tomorrow night. Tickets are $10, but students are admitted for free with their student ID. See you there!