Piano Concert Tells Interpretive Story of ‘Peter and the Wolf’

Allan Santiago, News Editor

The night proved plentiful in both melody and turnout as PCC performing faculty debuted a new Model D Steinway & Sons grand piano Saturday at Harbeson Hall.

What’s more, Superintendent-President Paulette Perfumo made her PCC stage debut as narrator in the closing duo interpretation of “Peter and the Wolf.”

Upon entering Harbeson Hall, both the new New York Steinway and the older Hamburg Steinway could be seen back to back, almost completely occupying the stage.

“It’s very exiting to have two concert Steinways available to us,” said Jacqueline Petitto, who was one of three to play in the opening “Andalusian Dances” by Manuel Infante, which offered a lively introduction to the night’s program.

Though, in separate occasions the performers’ assistants nearly dropped the sheet music or turned it too soon – both minor errors to an otherwise flawless spectacle.

Clearly, the difference in timbre could be heard between the New York and the Hamburg Steinway: the New York Steinway had a more pronounced tonal resonance, which could be heard during the performers’ swift, driving chord changes.

Petitto, first soloist of the night, displayed depth and grace with Alexander Scriabin’s “Prelude for the Left Hand,” “Etude in E Major,” and “Etude in C# Minor.”

“I really wanted something rich and deep, so I thought the Scriabin pieces would be appropriate for this occasion because it really shows the range of power and beauty of the [new] piano,” she said. “I really enjoyed working with the new piano. It was quite a treat.”

Phillip Young, third soloist, dazzled the audience with his performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Etude-tableau” Op. 32 and Op. 39 – some of the most intricate arrangements credited to Rachmaninoff.

Young’s playing was anything but discreet: his interpretations yielded brevity and vigor, capturing the rhythmic drive often heard in Rachmaninoff’s scores.

“I chose the pieces because I thought that it was a nice set, and that kind of music is great for this kind of a program,” said Young.

Of a more stylistic approach, Cynthia Williams, second soloist, performed Maurice Ravel’s “Sonatine,” diffusing waves of harmony throughout Harbeson Hall, and captivating the viewer with constant crossovers and speeded playing a la tempo rubato.

For the final performance – perhaps the most anticipated one of the night – both concert pianos were brought to stage featuring Young and Larine Striver-Madden; President Perfumo was seated center stage where she narrated to a crowd of an age ranging from 6 to over 80. The audience listened attentively and throughout responded with laughs and awes,” as it surely took some folks back to their youth.

Young and Striver-Madden gave life to the characters, switching off between Peter, the bird, and the other animals. At times the music overshadowed Perfumo’s voice, although it did not fault the performance. Parts of the story was omitted – for time’s sake most likely – but was more than compensated for by featuring a young boy dressed the part of Peter who made his way along side a snare drum player to the stage.

The performance ended followed by a long ovation. The performers were given congratulations, and praise for the new piano was heard all around during the reception afterwards.

Young and Striver-Madden traveled to Queens, New York to pick, out of five, which piano would be appropriate for PCC. According to Young, it took about a day to test out all the pianos, playing both slow and fast pieces to test its range.

“When you’re buying the piano, it’s like buying a car that is not completely tuned up, but you’re buying what you feel is the intention of the car,” said Young. “You’re kind of guessing … and [seeing] which one responds the best to you now, and you don’t know exactly what it’s going to be like.”

As read in the program guide, the mechanics of the 12,000 parts of the Model D and construction of its nine-foot case is largely done by hand. Consequently, Steinway & Sons can only produce about 170 concert grand pianos a year. Construction of the chosen piano had already begun about a year ago.

According to Steve Likens, general manager of Fields Pianos, a refurbished Steinway retailer, “The New York Steinway has a particular richness and strength. It really is more often chosen for the North American public because they have that ear for that kind of a sound,” contrasting European preferences. “There’s no wrong, there’s not right, it’s just a different sound,” he said.

He went on to explain that often time buyers consider how big the place in which the piano would be most played when choosing a piano.

Harbeson Hall has been home of the Hamburg piano since 2000 and was the place Young kept in mind when selecting the new piano. Having a custom New York Steinway along with the Hamburg model will give greater opportunity for future faculty and guest performances.