On the other hand

I always like to watch concert at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, despite of busy or not. A brief calculation tells me that I watched a total amount of 13 concerts last semester year at YST, and another 1 at Esplanade.

Went to CFA to practice oboe for a short time (1 hour) is short for me). After that, I just had my dinner and headed to YST.

Today concert was by Albert Tiu, who is an assistant professor at YST teaching piano.

I watched his concert twice before, if I remember correctly. His concerts are always worth watching, because of his skill of playing. Even if he is playing some music that I really can't understand, there are chances that I will still be attracted by his music, and that can explain why he is so good.

Today was a full-house. I miss the days that plenty of empty rows and two to five people per row. Hearing concert in a near-empty is not only quiet, but also more relax.

In this concert, he plays the piano using only right hand. That is because his left hand was hurt, so he started playing using right hand, and thus there is this "On the other hand" concert. "The motivation behind this recital is to show that it is possible to continue making music, whatever the handicap."

He did use his left hand for the encores. The first encore piece was a left-hand piece, but very short. The second and third encores (Yes, THREE encores) were truly fantastic, which gave us an idea of how a professional pianist can play. When he starts playing using both hand, you just can't believe that there are such wonderful musics in the world.

Programme:
Bach/Brahms: Chaconne in D minor
When Brahms arranged Bach's Chaconne, he was rising to the challenge as a composer because the physical limitation of five fingers seemed analogous to the four strings of the violin. Brahms sent this arrangement to Clara Schumann in 1877, unaware that she was recovering from a painful injury to her right hand which caused her to cancel concerts, and she considered this unexpected gift a "glorious refuge".

Skryabin: Prelude Op. 9 No. 1 in C-sharp minor
Skryabin: Nocturne Op.9 No. 2 in D-flat major
In his bid to become a concert pianist, Skryabin practiced excessively, in the process injuring his right hand. As a result, he wrote two pieces that have become staples in the left-hand repertory - the Prelude and Nocturne, Op. 9. These pieces are notable for their poignant lyricism, and Skryabin was consequently labelled "the left-handed Chopin" when he performed them during his American tour in 1906/07.

Godowsky: Studies after Chopin
If Brahms' motivation was compositional and Skryabin's was due to injury, Godowsky's was a pedagogical fascination with the left hand. Godowsky observed that the left hand was just as potentially able to develop as the right, if only given the opportunity to do so. Chopin's Etudes were considered to be at the summit of this genre, and since most of the Etudes focus on the right hand, Godowsky chose them to be the launching pad for his own hyper-virtuosic 53 Studies. Of these, 22 are for the left hand alone, taking piano writing to dizzying heights never before seen.

Chopin: Preludes Op. 28 Nos. 1-8, arr. for the right hand alone by Albert Tiu
While the music in the first half was intended for the left hand, the second half contains music that was written with the right hand in mind. I may not be a composer, but I thought that this recital would not be quite complete without my own attempts at writing for one hand. So I chose as the subject of my transcription Chopin's Preludes. My goal was to provide myself with material with which to continue practicing while my left hand was recovering. While some of the arrangements are acrobatic, like Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 8, Nos. 2, 4 and 7 are studies in delicate pedalling. No. 6 is the ideal piece to be transcribed as a right-hand piece, since most of the melody is in the bass and hence played by the right thumb, which makes it appear like a mirror image of left-hand writing.

Kawai Shiu: La coral de una mano Alberto
I also took this opportunity to commission a work from my colleague, Kawai Shiu. Here's what he has to say about La coral de una mano alberto: "At the outset, La coral comments on the implied hierarchy in music, especially music from the Western European tradition. This hierarchy is manifested in register, instrumentation, virtuosity, and numerous other musical and contextual parameters. La coral is framed by five six-pitch collections. Each collection and its variants inhabit a specific register range of the piano. As the piece progresses the sets transform, interact, and migrate rapidly. The piece does not imitate two-handed piano music nor attempts to impress the listener with five-finger spectacles, but it does occasionally require performing chords with six pitches."

Alkan: Study for the Right Hand Alnoe, Op. 76 No. 2
Definitely the most ambitious piece for the right hand alone, Alkan's Study is the second of a trilogy of Grandes Etudes, Op. 76, in which the first is a Fantasy for the left hand alone, and the last is a reunification of the two hands in perpetual motion unison. This right-hand study is subtitled "Introduction, Variations and Finale", already a foreshadow of the epic proportions of the structure. The Introduction in D major contains dramatic elements which we normally find in opera, alternating between a hymn-like theme and a contrasting recitative-like declamation. This concluded with some brilliant flourishes, setting the stage for an angelic theme in A major. What follows is a diabolical set of 4 variations, each one distinct in terms of character and even tonality. The first variation is perky and playful, with chordal leaps and ricochets that are reminiscent of Paganini. This is followed by a variation in F major, starting with a march-like fugato passage in the low register, which transforms into a flowing trickle of 32nd notes that form a counterpoint to the original melody. The third variation in C major is replete with pyrotechnics, chords and arpeggios, traversing the whole expanse of the keyboard. Almost reluctantly, the final variation returns to A major, gradually leading us to a heavenly statement of the theme. The Finale is a massive statement of the hymn-like melody in the Introduction, bringing the piece to a triumphant climax.