Tag Archive
Impressive Pianists Conclude Young Artists Series
CHOPIN’s MUSIC, especially his piano music, has a signature quality that is hard to describe, but you know it as ‘Chopin’ (1810-1849) when you hear it. Which, of course, poses a challenge for pianists. Do they make it ‘the same’ or do they try to make it ‘their own’ and run the risk of... Read »
More Lush Liszt from the Young Artist Series
THE PROPER CELEBRATION of Franz Liszt’s bicentennial year has not been lost on Enrique Graf and his Young Artist Series. Tuesday’s concert set quite a high bar, but doing justice to this prolific composer’s immense body of work requires much more. And so, another full program dedicated solely to Liszt’s music provided a stupendous... Read »
Piano Heaven at Piccolo
WHAT A WAY TO BEGIN one’s Piccolo Spoleto festival! The Young Artist Series blasted a packed house into piano heaven on Saturday with a beautifully balanced program focusing on transcriptions of early twentieth-century French works, with some Gershwin and Piazzolla thrown in as a climax to the darker seduction of the more impressionistic works.... Read »
Another Prize for Micah
THE COMPETITION took place in the castle of Ettlingen, Germany. Two hundred and sixty-seven young pianists from 41 nations applied. One hundred and eight were admitted to perform over the ten-day period of August 5–15. And history was made by awarding the top two prizes in the younger category to pianists from the United... Read »
Micah Mania
THE EVENING of Wednesday, Feb. 10 started with a buzz of of anticipation. Outside, the sidewalk was overflowing. Inside, the Sottile Theatre was filling to the brim—a first for the International Piano Series this season. On the stage, a solitary grand piano stood passively in front of a large sound board. The much awaited... Read »
A Prodigy Among Us
ANY FAN OF THE PERFORMING ARTS is fascinated by a “prodigy”—a word that my dictionary defines as “a person endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities, especially a precocious child.” Close enough, I suppose—but I think the Germans have a better word for it, namely “Wunderkind,” translatable as “wonder-child.” This term implies a miraculous level... Read »
Super Soloist at Sottile
CHARLESTON, which has slowly become a mecca for musicians, now boasts its own piano prodigy in Micah McLaurin, a 15-year-old native who will be performing next Tuesday at the College of Charleston’s 2009–2010 International Piano Series. This is the third concert in a series featuring Enrique Graf and three of his protégés. Micah will... Read »
Premier Piano Performances
THE INTERNATIONAL PIANO SERIES at the College of Charleston has become one of the city’s most cherished performing arts institutions since 1990, which is when distinguished pianist and C of C Artist-in-Residence Enrique Graf founded it. This year’s schedule includes four superb pianists and five concerts that you don’t want to miss. As a... Read »
