The von der Mehden recital hall hosted a piano recital by piano performance student Grace Nieh on March 27.
According to the program distributed by the recital hall, Nieh has been involved with the UConn Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Connecticut Youth Symphony. She is currently studying under Dr. Angelina Gadeliya and has received multiple scholarships.
The audience applauded for Nieh when she went on stage. Without a word, she began to play Joseph Haydn’s three-part composition “Piano Sonata No. 62 in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI/52.”
There was a feeling of tension and release with the shorter staccato notes and the longer legato notes fluctuating between each other. There was then a cascade of notes that felt like frolicking in a field. However, the positivity and joy in the sound of the music would prove to be temporary in the piece.
There was a melody that sounded kind of like the “Hot Cross Buns” theme that kept appearing in the middle of the piece. In between these positive-sounding moments, however, there were darker and more sinister melodies.
Yet another beautiful melody was bookended by a more tragic-sounding melody. The different movements of the piece kept melding together since they all had mood fluctuations, making it difficult to tell when one part started and ended. The only hint the audience received as to when the next piece was being played was when Nieh briefly stopped playing.
The finale of the piece, “Presto,” started off seriously. There was an incredibly impressive fast melody that displayed Nieh’s technical prowess. There were also some purposefully unpleasant and discordant notes. Like a hammer, a heavy bass note was played alongside the pre-existing melody, adding a level of harshness to the composition.
The audience applauded after Nieh got up and bowed. The next piece performed was Sergey Rakhmaninov’s “Prelude in A minor, Op. 32, No. 8.” The sound filled the room gorgeously. Right when the piece felt like it was getting started, though, the composition abruptly ended.
The next piece was Rakhmaninov’s “Prelude in B minor, Op. 32, No. 10,” which began even more gloomily. Heavy bass notes loomed over the rest of the composition. There was a lull afterward that felt like the calm before the storm, as the piece’s sound grew into an explosion again. The sustain pedal helped to create a beautiful ringing sound, making depressing moments slightly hopeful before delving further into solemnness.
Sergey Prokofiev’s “Suggestion diabolique” from “Four Pieces for Piano, Op. 4” was the next piece played. It had really loud high notes and Nieh’s body moved with the force of the music, giving it more power.
There was a short intermission for the von der Mehden staff to set up a second piano for the final piece: Rakhmaninov’s “Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos, Op. 17.” Thomas Tarutin, a junior majoring in physics and mathematics-statistics, was the second player.
According to the program, although he hasn’t pursued music as a major, “He commits a significant portion of his time to continuing his piano studies through lessons and chamber music, both at and outside the university.” Beyond the piano, he plays the viola and is the organist at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in East Berlin, Conn.
With two people to help move the screens to the next page while the pianists were playing, the final piece was performed. The first part, “Romance – Andantino,” certainly sounded romantic. There was an absolutely beautiful cascade of mesmerizing notes. To counter this, however, there was a heavier moment that made it apparent that “beautiful” doesn’t do this composition justice.
The second part, “Tarantella – Presto,” started off heavier and more miserable than before. It was as if the pianos were communicating with each other. Within the chaos, there was an interesting melody. It was like an argument of sorts, which juxtaposed with the previous movement. The piece abruptly ended, and the recital was over. Nieh bowed to a standing ovation.
Recitals are always a joy to attend if you want to relax and daydream to the soundtrack of live-performed music. It’s a nice change of pace to hear music being performed live instead of hearing recordings.
