Renowned pianist Seth Carlin, professor of music and director of the piano program in Arts & Sciences, will perform music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Maurice Ravel and Robert Schumann at 7:30 p.m. March 28 in Edison Theatre.
For Carlin, the concert will represent a new approach to the repertoire he performs on the modern piano.
“In the past, I’ve dedicated my career to performing music on the type of instrument for which it was actually written.” Carlin said. “But recently, I have come to the thinking that today’s piano accommodates very well a broad range of music, including works composed before its emergence.
“On this recital, I’m playing a work by Bach because of my own need to perform this great music, despite the fact that in recent decades performances of his keyboard works frequently have been reserved for the harpsichord.”
(The harpsichord was the primary keyboard instrument of Bach’s time, the Baroque period, followed by the fortepiano in the Classical period of Haydn and Mozart. The modern piano did not reach its current form until about 1860.)
Carlin will begin his program with Bach’s Partita in B-flat Major, BWV 825. He will then move to the 20th century for Ravel’s Miroirs, a set of five distinct pieces that includes the popular Alborada del gracioso.
The program will conclude with Schumann’s Carnaval, a monument of piano literature consisting of 21 short compositions titled to represent the composer’s friends, colleagues, figures of commedia dell’arte and even philosophical opponents. Though some pieces are less than a minute in length, several make extreme technical demands on the performer.
Notably, Schumann depicts himself as both introvert and extrovert — poignant, considering his struggles with manic-depressive disorder.
Concert admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 935-4841.
Comments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.