By Alexandria Woolfe
The Conservatory of Music returned with its “Afternoons at the Piano” on campus after nearly two years, with conservatory students playing classical pieces for a small audience on Mar. 31 and Apr. 7 at the Don Buchwald Theater.
Yantang Zhou, the first pianist who began day one of performances, played songs from Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat minor Les Adieux” and Ravel’s “Gaspard de la nuit.”
Wearing a long dark purple gown, Zhou first played “Les Adieux” which translates to “The Farewell.” The piece contained three forms, or parts, titled “the farewell,” “the absence,” and “the return.”
Zhou’s pieces reminded me of a chilly, uninviting blizzard. The forms feel accurately named for the melodies you hear because of how sad they seem. Even as she played the keys, her face held a tense expression.
Ravel’s “Gaspard de la nuit” also held similarly haunting melodies, telling the story of a man reminiscent of the devil being watched by someone, “the observer.” In the first form, the music tells the story of a water nymph trying to seduce the observer and the third form tells a final tale of the observer amidst a bizarre and intense nightmare.
The second pianist to perform, Danying Zhang, played three composer’s pieces: Brahms’ “Klavierstucke,” Scriabin’s “Etude,” and Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 13.”
Zhang’s pieces sounded more pleasant to the ear compared to her classmate’s. The pieces by each student stood out as polar opposites, as Zhang played more crescendos whereas Zhou’s pieces included more decrescendos, which elevated the mood.
While Zhou performed chilling pieces, the melodies in Zhang’s performance felt like listening to what a sunny spring day would feel like.
During both performances, the audience sat still, silently captivated by the power radiating from the keys. It seems up for debate whether or not the silence was voluntarily due to mesmerization, or if they were by obligation since the performances were being recorded and audience members were advised beforehand to not make much noise.
The “Afternoons at the Piano” concert was held once more on Apr. 7.