Pianamerica Part 2 in the Hockett Family Recital Hall September 18, 2014

Tonight I saw my first music performance on Ithaca College's campus! The feature was Pianamerica! Part 2 in the Hockett Family Recital Hall. The school of music put on a festival of American piano music performed by the studio of Jennifer Hayghe. I have never been to such a professional piano recital, and I am sure glad I came to this because I left the hall blown away by the performances.

The first performance was "Ramble on Love" from Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, composed by Percy Grainger, performed by Jonathan Vogtle. It opened somewhat violently. It was at a fast tempo, but nothing I could count without losing focus on the emotion of the piece. The piece seemed to escalate and then calm down, and then rise again before ending slowly and quietly. Something I noticed from this first piece was that I knew that all these songs ahead would be very complicated and that I would struggle to listen for cadences and even time signatures. What stuck out most was the amount of emotion put out from the music. It was different than all the music we listen to in class because these pieces are made to be complex and impressive. I was eager to hear more.

The second performance was "Suite for Piano, Op. 13" composed by Robert Muczynski, performed by Melody Zimmerman. There were 3 parts to this piece. The first part opened with a lot of rhythmic energy and contained short and quick notes. I couldn't identify a time signature, but I knew it was fast. I'm not sure why I kept trying to count a time signature, but I was curious to see if I could find something. The second part was a lot slower. It gave me the feeling that this part was written to go with a horror film. There were eerie phrases and a lot of delicate accents in the composition. The last part of the piece was incredibly suspenseful. It was fast and kept building up, then broke down with a very quick ending. 

Moving along to the only other piece in this first half of the night that really made a big impression on me, the 4th piece. This song had to be the most interesting of the first half of the overall production. It was called "Toccata for Piano" composed by Emma Lou Diemer, performed by Jennifer Pham. This piece was shocking. It opened and I felt like I was in danger! There was an ebb and flow to the dangerous articulation... and then all of a sudden the pianist gets up and begins pressing down on the actual strings of the piano, while still playing the keys that she is pressing down. It created this really empty sound that just added to the peril of the song. Then, she sits back down and lays an arm on the farthest left keys while she continued to play with her right hand. Next, she got up and began violently smacking the strings of the piano, making a deep thrashing sound. One hand hitting the strings, the other plucking and playing the strings like a harp! It was the most interesting piece I have ever seen played on a piano. The piece closed abruptly and the pianist seemed almost out of breath and exhausted from the emotion she just exerted in her piece. The lights then rose for intermission. 

 After intermission, there was a surprise in the hall. An extra piano and two percussionists were setting up on stage. I looked at my program and saw that "Symphonic Dances" from West Side Story, composed by Leonard Bernstein, was about to be performed. It included two pianos performed by Jennifer Hayghe and Sarah Rushing, and an original percussion part arranged by Andrew Garay and Nick Merillat. This is where I just put down my notes and sat mesmerized for the 23 minute performance. It went on and on and got better and better. I half expected to see the classic gang fight to be performed in front of me as the "Rumble" piece was played. It was nonstop foot tapping for me. As a theatre major, I was completely absorbed in the performance. The percussion implementation was perfectly arranged to match the sensations of the music. I would've paid good money to see this piece, but tonight I was treated with such an amazing performance for free. 

This was my first, and definitely not my last visit to the Hockett Family Recital Hall. Three days a week I walk through the Whalen building and I never really know what all the music students are working towards, but now I truly understand. I have a newfound respect for this kind of music and I am undeniably a fan. I can't wait to see what else Ithaca has in store for me to hear.