Pianist Frank Wiens

PIANIST WIENS PLAYS NOVEL GRIEG PROGRAM AT UCCA OPENING CONCERT

Three Hundred people attended University of the Pacific faculty pianist Frank Wiens’ recital Oct. 18 at Ukiah High School, the first of the series for the 2012-2013 season of the Ukiah Community Concert Association.

Mr. Wiens, recently returned from Norway, played a program devoted mostly to Grieg, and in introductory remarks he described Grieg’s dilemma as a composer as being perceived in its own time as “too modern” by some and “too minimalist” by others.

Opening the recital were three Lyric Pieces: Notturno, Op. 54, and Little Bird and Butterfly from Op. 43. The common thread to all three works was the manner which Grieg was able to utilize piano technique to evoke the sounds of nature. The light trills in the right hand sound remarkably like a bird song. The E Minor Sonata, Op. 7, was next, performed with youthful vision and energy. In the first movement, Allegro moderato, Mr. Wiens played with depth and simplicity. A following Alla minuetto was given a refined Nordic approach and in the finale, Allegro molto, the pianist alternated a stoic rhythmic theme with a chorale and played the big chords with accuracy and vitality.

A second set of three songs followed, including the dance-like Humoreske, Op. 6, No. 3; Bridal Procession from “Pictures from Folk Life,” Op. 19, No. 2; and Norwegian Peasant Dances from “Slätter,” Op. 72, No. 4. Mr. Wiens told the audience that the term “Humoresque” describes a composition that has been derived from music “in the folk manner”.

The concert’s first part concluded with the rarely-heard Agitato, an early work from 1865 that Mr. Wiens described as “Grieg’s most modern voice.”

After intermission Mr. Wiens played a few pieces by other composers, then returned to Grieg with five pieces from the Holberg Suite, Op.40: Preludium, Sarabande, Gavotte, Air and Rigaudon . He concluded with three more well-known Lyric Pieces, March of the Dwarfs, Op. 54, No. 2; To the Spring, Op. 43. No. 6; and the popular Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Op. 65, No. 6. The pianist explained Grieg’s concept for “Wedding Day” as a description of his own wedding day in 1867, when uninvited guests kept arriving until the planned number more than doubled. Consequently, the piece grows and becomes more boisterous as it develops.

Mr. Wiens’ performance was generously received by the audience which gave him a standing ovation, and he played one encore, Rachmaninoff’s brilliant and sonorous Prelude in B Flat, Op. 23.

Before the performance the audience heard an interview with Ukiah resident Lillian Vogel, 103, conducted by local cellist Joel Cohen. Ms. Vogel shared some of her secrets for living a full life, starting with her membership on her high school debate team. She cited a healthy sense of curiosity as a recipe for longevity, and concluded her remarks by presenting an original poem that was warmly received.