Master Players Concert Series

Dani Galietti
CAP - Oct 10, 2009
8pm-10:30pm
Master Players Concert Series
“I Left My Heart in Newark”

Last night marked the season opening Faculty Gala for the Master Players Concert Series. The performance entitled “I Left My Heart in Newark” featured the voice and musical talents of the University of Delaware Faculty in the Music Department. The chosen pieces that were performed were by a variety of different composers, some of which included as Rachmaninoff, Rossini, Sarasate, and Brahms.
The performance began with a piano accompaniment. Soprano Sara Seglem-Hocking beautifully sang “Chere Nuit”. In the next performance an xylophone was brought onto stage, and a very animated Harvey Price accompanied by Linda Henderson on the piano played Rain and a Spanish Waltz by George Hamilton Green. Before the performance Price noted that Green was one of the ground breaking xylophone composers. I especially enjoyed this piece because of the performative qualities the musician brought to the piece. Not only was their a focus on the music but Price had an extremely corporeal response to each individual note he played- it was as if he was literally acting out the music. He wasn’t just playing music; you could tell he was extremely passionate about it. This was extremely true in the case of baritone singer Robert Brandt, in his performance of “Largo al Factotum” from “The Barber of Seville”. As he sang to the piano accompaniment of Marian Lee, his facial expressions and arm movements truly conveyed a sense of the song and his personality. However, I was even more enamored when Lawrence Stomberg entered on stage with his Cello. Along with Holly Raodfeldt-O’Riordan on the piano, they played two incredibly amazing movements from Rachmaninoff’s Sonata. Before the performance, Stomberg noted that the reason for his more formal Tuxedo attire was because he was “so pumped for tonight”. Though the validity of this statement was thrown off by the jesting remark of tenor singer Blake Smith, who told the audience that it was in fact he, himself, who told Stomberg to wear a Tux. Smith was an incredible performer, in tone, and in actions. With Marian Lee on piano, they ended the first half of the performance with incredible energy and life.
After intermission, the second half began with Xiang Gao on violin, and Marian Lee on piano performing 5 movements from the Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25. Gao and Lee were fabulous together. There was so much emotion and energy in the music and especially their performance. The following performance was a Piano Sonata for four hands. Two women, Marian Lee and Christine Delbeau, shared the bench and played a lighter, fluffier piece. The piece, by composer Francis Poulenc, took advantage of the dissonance that was created by the two players, to create a fun and lively sound. The concert culminated in a multi faculty final performance of Brahms’ “Liebeslider”.