If you ever wondered how a PhD in Louise Farrenc interprets the Romantic French composer, well, hopefully you were amongst the selected few who had the privilege of listening to Dr. Stratigou impart a master class that could have been called “This Is How a Piano Is Meant to Be Played.” While the «Air russe varié, op.17» that she played to wind up her hour at the piano was one of the highlights of the day, I also greatly enjoyed her final piece, a rather frenetic and stylish composition entitled «Toccata in C» by Christos Papageorgiou.
In between, the very informative and anecdotical introductions Dr. Stratigou offered to each were also quite interesting: this is what distinguished these small-venue concerts from those more up-tight, formal presentations held in larger halls; there is a closeness, a warmth here that doesn’t echo in other venues, as with these introductions we learn not only of the composers, but of the personality of the interpreter, and, in this case, we’ve experienced a charming personality that seemed eager to both teach and perform.
I’m glad these concerts are back— I’ve missed the reverberations of the shared experiences that are live performances.