Our lives are filled with many “Olympic Moments”:
times when we are called upon to use our skills and experience, in an
instant, to do our very best. The
Pinault School of Music requires these Olympic moments of its students numerous
times during the year, culminating in its Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall recitals
in June. With the internationally
renowned pianist and teacher Dr. Ana Maria Trenchi de Bottazzi at the helm,
these are memorable moments for all of us.
On Friday evening, June 21st, the first of these concerts was
held for a large and enthusiastic audience.
This review will cover this concert.
It is noteworthy that each of the performers excels scholastically and in
other areas of their interest.
HAYLEY KUCICH (16) opened the
concert playing her own composition, “Reflections”, dedicated to the victims
and heroes of the 911 Tragedy. “Reflections”
beautifully mirrors the solemnity and stunned heartache we all felt and feel. A moving composition movingly played with tenderness and
compassion.
NICOLAS GIACALONE (6) began
the main body of the program with amazing poise, confidence and excellent
playing.
THOMAS GAVIN (8) followed
Nicolas with similar poise, solid fingers and aggressive determination.
JOHN MEDWICK (9) performed
with outstanding use of dynamics and timing.
SARAH SIU (12) played with a
solid technique and an even. steady rhythm.
SOPHIA SIU (14) performed the
Chopin “Minute Waltz” with steady fingers and fluid rhythm.
GILLIAN FARRELL (11) gave a
lyrical performance with superior use of dynamics.
ANJALI RAJA (13) gave a
technically accomplished performance with good dynamics in the demanding Mozart
“Turkish Rondo”.
ALI ROSSLAND (10) played the
C. P. E. Bach “Solfeggietto” in an excellent, strikingly emotional
manner—vivid playing.
FIONNA SCIAME (15) performed
the Massanet “Aragonaise” with excellent flair and technique (and a great
dress).
ALEXANDRA LETTIERI (15) played
her Chopin “Waltz” with fine technical control, capturing the glitter of
this difficult work.
SHANNON SUN-HIGGINSON (14)
gave a courageous performance with her bandaged hand of the somber Gershwin 2nd
Prelude. Musically and
pianistically quite a satisfying feat.
TAMARA BILAK (13) with
professional poise and technique gave a performance of the 13th Liszt
“Rhapsody” with great flair and definitely captured the ethnic quality of
the work.
HANNAH JURKOWICZ (13) had a
definite command of the instrument and handled the Gottschalk bravura admirably.
ANDREW CIANCIMINO (17) gave a
moving performance, musically and idiomatically of the Billy Joel “Grand
Piano”. He was right on target.
SILVIA BILAK (16) remarkably
performed the Rachmaninoff Etude, Op. 39, No. 5.
A huge work with an even larger sound throughout, many pianists get
swallowed up by the sheer volume and passion of the composition, but in her
hands none of the nuance of the various voices were lost.
Bravo!
The three TRENK-FEINER sisters (12, 11, 9) gave a rousing and delightful
performance of a setting of Meyerbeer’s “Coronation March” for one piano,
six hands. As an encore they
performed “Stars and Stripes Forever”.
HAYLEY KUCICH (16) performed
with great flair and assurance the Chopin “Polonaise”, Op. 53.
A quite admirable feat.
MARIA LETTIERI (18) tossed
off, with ease, her Gershwin “I Got Rhythm” and the Gould “Boogie Woogie
Etude”. It was brilliant and
controlled playing with enough nuance to avoid the steady Forte often
encountered.
KAROLINA BAKER, (16) played
Ravel’s “Jeux d’eau” with technical delicacy and control; a musically
satisfying performance of great poise.
JOHN KORCZYINSKY (18) gave a
musically and technically immensely satisfying performance of the Liszt-Schumann
“Widmung”. A true testament to
Schumann’s tender and noble love for his wife Clara.
Bravo John.
LISA CALIRI, a professional
pianist, closed the program with the “Toccata” by Ben-Haim.
A splendid performance full of nuance and high contrast-- all within
superb control
The performance concluded with an introduction of the
faculty and Achievement Awards being presented to these worthy young performers.