Black and white keys take splash of color from visiting pianist
Glaser teaches master class to aid music students, gives concert
Michal Elseth
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: Arts
Steven Michael Glaser stood behind freshman Sadie Hoyt, listening intently as she played through her run on the Steinway grand piano.
Arms crossed and brow furrowed in concentration, he waited until she finished before he leaned forward energetically and put a hand on her shoulder.
"See?" he said. "It's sparkly this way. Much better color."
Observing music students murmured agreement and Hoyt played the passage once more, markedly improving on an already commanding performance of her Rachmaninoff piece.
Steven Michael Glaser, a world-renowned pianist and professor of piano at Ohio State University, gave a master class to three piano students while about 60 other music students observed Thursday and performed his own two-hour concert Friday night.
Glaser focused on helping each of the three students - Hoyt, junior Jonathan Chesson and senior Cameron Wilkens - better understand their music in order to bring out color and mood. His direction had a significant impact on their playing.
He sat in the back of Markel Auditorium and listened to each student play through their piece once, then came down to the stage to give instruction, occasionally demonstrating at the piano.
Glaser brought this goal to his performance Friday night.
After powering through the third movement of Schubert's Sonata in D Major (Op. 53), full of brilliantly contrasting chords, he finished the sonata with rhythmic, lilting notes he described as "the ticking of a nursery clock."
Glaser filled his concert full of color and contrast, dancing notes and surprising chords.
He followed his opening Schubert sonata with Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy, then played five "snapshots of Israel" from Jewish composer Paul Ben-Haim - Glaser regularly performs works of Jewish composers. He finished with a Russian work, Sergei Liapunov's "Lesghinka" Etude No. 11 (Op. 10).
"Thank you, thank you," he said to his audience, who gave him a standing ovation at the concert's conclusion.
The audience - mostly professors and music students - walked out discussing their favorite piece, a hard choice when each was played brilliantly.
"His voicing was perfect," said junior Ellen Clines, a music major.
Arms crossed and brow furrowed in concentration, he waited until she finished before he leaned forward energetically and put a hand on her shoulder.
"See?" he said. "It's sparkly this way. Much better color."
Observing music students murmured agreement and Hoyt played the passage once more, markedly improving on an already commanding performance of her Rachmaninoff piece.
Steven Michael Glaser, a world-renowned pianist and professor of piano at Ohio State University, gave a master class to three piano students while about 60 other music students observed Thursday and performed his own two-hour concert Friday night.
Glaser focused on helping each of the three students - Hoyt, junior Jonathan Chesson and senior Cameron Wilkens - better understand their music in order to bring out color and mood. His direction had a significant impact on their playing.
He sat in the back of Markel Auditorium and listened to each student play through their piece once, then came down to the stage to give instruction, occasionally demonstrating at the piano.
Glaser brought this goal to his performance Friday night.
After powering through the third movement of Schubert's Sonata in D Major (Op. 53), full of brilliantly contrasting chords, he finished the sonata with rhythmic, lilting notes he described as "the ticking of a nursery clock."
Glaser filled his concert full of color and contrast, dancing notes and surprising chords.
He followed his opening Schubert sonata with Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasy, then played five "snapshots of Israel" from Jewish composer Paul Ben-Haim - Glaser regularly performs works of Jewish composers. He finished with a Russian work, Sergei Liapunov's "Lesghinka" Etude No. 11 (Op. 10).
"Thank you, thank you," he said to his audience, who gave him a standing ovation at the concert's conclusion.
The audience - mostly professors and music students - walked out discussing their favorite piece, a hard choice when each was played brilliantly.
"His voicing was perfect," said junior Ellen Clines, a music major.
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