On this blustery afternoon, I decide to stay indoors and make my way to the historic Hand House in Elizabethtown for the Piano by Nature Concert: Blame It on Rio! Piano by Nature is, according to the program, "a series of concerts bringing professional and thought-provoking piano performances to the North Country."
I am no stranger to the beautifully appointed Hand House which is run by Mary Bell and the Crary Foundation. I have attended meditation sessions here in the past as well as produced a small musical in the room where we will be gathering for this concert.
About 30 people take their seats in the stately room where the grand piano resides and where cellist Tania Lisboa and pianist Cristina Capparelli will soon be performing. Mary Bell welcomes us all to the Hand House and the Piano by Nature Concert Series and raises our expectations with her praise of what she's heard rehearsing here today.
Then, artistic director, Rose Chancler introduces the duo which hails from Brazil as "lovely people who are the ultimate in professionalism." According to the program, cellist Tania Lisboa is one of Brazil's foremost musical personalities. She has performed worldwide and is currently a staff member at the Royal College of Music in London and the Orpheus Institute in Belgium. Cristina Capparelli is a pianist and scholar and leading figure in the musical circles of Brazil. A two-time recipient of the Fulbright Grants for study in the U.S., Cristina holds a Masters Degree with honors from the New England Conservatory and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Boston University School of the Arts.
But enough of the cerebral. These two performers are nothing less than mesmerizing. Their program includes pieces from five Brazilian composers: Villa-Lobos, Guarnieri, H. Oswald, Mignone, and F. Bridge. The ladies preface each selection with brief but pertinent descriptions or succinct facts about each composer's life that relate to the specific work.
I am sitting in the first row for practical, picture-taking purposes. But I'm glad to be here for another reason. From where I sit, I am able to distinguish all the expressions that transform Tania's face as her fingers race up and down on the cello. It is both poignant and passionate to hear the cello voice the feelings that play across her face and through her body as she performs.
Though I am not able to see Cristina's face as her fingers dance over the piano keys, I can feel the energy in her performance and note the times she watches and communicates wordlessly with Tania as they complete pieces in a beautifully synchronized movement, with Cristina releasing the piano chord exactly at the same time Tania ends to dramatically punctuate a composition.
Within the Brazilian theme, the selections are eclectic—from a lullaby to sonatas, rondo and serenade. The Brazilian rhythms are ever-present with occasional French and British influences.
The Villa-Lobos encore is especially entertaining, mimicking a train and ending with a slam bang finish, so to speak.
I'm told the duo will be performing for local school children tomorrow, which is a trademark of the Piano by Nature series—to help expose and engage children with classical music.
The next event in the Piano by Nature 2012 series is scheduled for Saturday, May 12 at 7pm & Sunday, May 13 at 3pm--New Zealand pianist Nicola Melville.
--Kathleen Recchia has been enjoying the arts in the Adirondacks for about 20 years—both as observer and participant (acting, directing, and producing). She also enjoys cross-country skiing, juggling, and hosting visitors to the area at her bed & breakfast in Jay.
