J.M.W. Turner's "Chichester Canal" at the Tate Gallery, London

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Olive Library: Two Pianos

Concert at the Olive Public Library, one of the "Trail Mix" series. The Olive Library is a beautiful building on Route 28A (going right onto 28A just after the IGA supermarket, for 3½ miles). Spacious, it has a large room off the main library area, where a grand old piano is kept.

It was cold and crisp as the concert started at 2.30 a winter's afternoon. The program was:
  • Mozart - Fantasia in f minor KV 608
  • Schubert - Fantasia in f minor op. 103
  • Schumann - Pictures from the East op. 66
  • Gottschalk -
    • Souvenir de Porto Rico op. 31
    • Manchega - op. 38 (Etude de concert)
  • Rakhmaninov - Vocalise op. 34, 14 (Arranged for two pianos by A. Ovsyannikov)
  • Shostakovich - Concertino in a minor op. 94 for two pianos
President Lincoln heard Gottschalk play, and praised him. Rachmaninov (name, as is so common with Russians, can be spelled different ways) is a particular favorite, very romantic and lyrical. The Shostakovich piece was a rousing finale. As the concert unfolded snow began falling; it was a slow, slippery ride back to Chichester.

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