German pianist Andreas Klein finally accomplished what he always wanted at the Artist and Lecture Series Oct. 4: playing two sonatas in one program.
A sonata, easily recognized by tempo changes, is a musical composition designed to be played on one or two instruments.
Klein said the selections possessed a variety of emotions. He said the sonatas by Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin displayed emotions encompassing beauty to ugliness and sadness to joy.
Sophomore Phillip Rayford enjoyed seeing Klein play and was impressed with the emotions Klein held throughout the performance.
“He made everything seem so easy,” he said.
Klein devoted his performance to two composers he considered as the greatest in classical music, Liszt and Chopin.
Klein said Chopin was an introvert who did not like performing his pieces in front of audiences. Liszt, however, lived to be a showman and enjoyed performing. Klein said Liszt and Chopin were friends and often performed in smaller venues, similar to McKibbin Recital Hall.
“Liszt was more of a friend to Chopin than vise-versa,” he said.
Rayford said he enjoyed the background information Klein provided about the two composers.
“It always makes it more interesting to know what you are listening to,” he said.
John Buehler, chair of the music department, believes that smaller venues like McKibbin are good places to hold piano recitals.
“In most piano recitals, you really want to see the emotion and energy the performer puts into the music,” he said.
Buehler said Klein is one of the finest artists that has ever performed in McKibbin.
“We’ve had a number of fine pianists, some very young and others more mature,” he said. “He’s just a world-class artist.”
Sophomore Di-tu Dissassa, a music major who plays piano, said she enjoyed Klein’s presentation.
“I liked the whole thing. I really liked how he was consistent,” she said. “I don’t think he made one mistake.
Klein has brought his performances to several famous venues, including Wigmore Hall in London, Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in New York, Berlin Philharmonic Hall and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Several of his performances have been broadcast and the Public Broadcasting Service even produced and aired a television series of Klein’s performances in “Intermezzo with Andreas Klein.”
His talent has taken him to many notable cities including Berlin, Rome, Dresden and Leipzig, Germany; Milan, Italy; Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago. Klein has also toured Europe and the Middle East.
Buehler said he enjoyed how Klein arranged the music pieces.
“The music was bundled so well and so thoughtful,” he said. “It made for a fantastic evening.”
The next Artist and Lecture Series will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Baldwin City First United Methodist Church. It will feature the Kansas City Chorale.