International Guest and USU-Based Quartet On Tap Next at the Wassermann

Italian pianist Roberto Plano, a finalist at the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, provides the next solo recital Tuesday, March 7, at the Wassermann Festival at Utah State University. He will be joined by USU’s professional string quartet in residence, the Fry Street Quartet, for a second concert Thursday, March 9. Concert time is 7:30 p.m.

Activities take place in the newly opened Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall.

 

Tickets for the festival’s performances are available in advance, either through the Web site or by calling Dennis Hirst at (435) 797-3257. Leave a name and the number of tickets requested, including a preference of seating section (by price: section A, $20; section B, $15; and section C, $10; ticket prices increase $5 for all sections for the final concert of the series). Tickets reserved by phone must be purchased at will-call between 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. on the night of the performance. Unclaimed tickets will be released for general sale 15 minutes prior to performance time. Tickets can also be purchased at the door in the Performance Hall. All seats are reserved with the exception of the March 9 performance, where tickets are general admission. All tickets for the March 9 event are $5.

 

“Roberto Plano is an artist with an unusual sensitivity to tone color and sound,” said Hirst, Wassermann Festival director. “His performances are filled with imaginative tonal landscapes that convey a depth of emotion and experience. He is a superb musician with great individuality.”

 

Hirst had the opportunity to hear Plano during the entire 2005 Cliburn competition, where the pianist was one of six finalists. “His performances were among the most memorable that I heard,” Hirst said.

 

Plano’s appearance at the Wassermann Festival is supported through the Van Cliburn Foundation.

 

The program for Plano’s solo recital runs the gamut from Haydn to the nationalistic music of Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera. Selections include Haydn’s “Variations in F minor,” Schubert’s “Sonata in A minor,” Sciabin’s “Sonata No. 2 in G# minor, Op. 19” (Sonata-Fantasy), Brahms’ “Klavierstucke, Op. 118” and Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas.

 

In addition to his Van Cliburn accomplishments, Plano won first prize at the 2001 Cleveland International Piano Competition and was Third Laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition. He regularly performs throughout Europe at prestigious concert venues, including Sala Verdi in Milan, the Salle Cortot in Paris and the Herculessaal and Gasteig in Munich. He has appeared with orchestras in Italy, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Japan.

 

Noted for his warm and outgoing personality, he has been a guest artist for a number of radio programs, including NPR’s Performance Today, WNYC in New York City, WGBH’s “Boston’s Classics” morning show and RadioRai 3 Grammelot in Italy.

 

Plano has been a featured guest artist at several international music festivals in recent seasons, including the Chopin Festival in Duszniki, Poland; the Williamstown International Piano Festival and the Savannah Music Festival in the United States; the Encuentro de musica y Academia de Santander, Spain; and the Settimane Musicali in Stresa, Italy.

 

In his second concert performance of the week, Plano joins the Fry Street Quartet Thursday, March 9.

 

The Fry Street Quartet’s residency in the department of music at USU, an affiliated program of the Caine School of the Arts, is made possible by a grant from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation. The quartet took the Millennium Grand Prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the first prize at the Yellow Springs Competition, and were prize winners at the 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition. It performs nationally and internationally. At Isaac Stern’s invitation, the quartet made its 2001 Carnegie Hall debut. The FSQ made its European debut with a concert tour of the Balkans sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the U.S. State Department.

 

The March 9 concert is the quartet’s debut in the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall. The Fry Street Quartet opens the evening with “Canon a 4” from The Musical Offering by J.S. Bach, followed by “String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2” by Joseph Haydn.

 

Following intermission, the quartet joins pianist Plano in Antonin Dvorak’s “Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81.”

 

“This collaborative concert is a great opportunity to feature our artist-quartet in residence with an internationally renowned guest artist,” Hirst said. “The Dvorak piano quintet is my personal favorite among the piano quintet repertoire. Every movement is accessible and interesting. Both the quartet members and Mr. Plano are unusually sensitive musicians, with keen ears for sound, tone and musical beauty. The match, in a word, will be ideal.”

 

Limited parking for The Performance Hall is located directly north of the facility (south of 700 North at approximately 1150 East). Additional parking is available in the lots north and northeast of the Chase Fine Arts Center, near 700 North and 1200 East. Evening parking in these areas is free. Additional parking is also available in the parking terrace (700 North 850 East) near the Taggart Student center.

 

Future performers and dates for the Wassermann Festival include: March 21, Alexander Kobrin; and April 18, Krystian Zimerman. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. in the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall.

 

 

The Wassermann Festival at Utah State University has a dual mission — teaching and performance. It brings the finest musicians and teachers to campus, providing an opportunity for pianists to work in lecture and master class settings. Members of the public are treated to a series of solo and collaborative performances.

 

A full series of master classes and lectures takes place March 6-8 as part of the festival. Sessions are led by Norman Krieger and Roberto Plano. Earlier sessions featured Spencer Myer.

 

Those attending the master classes and lectures will study piano literature, piano pedagogy and performance techniques.

 

In addition to the class experience, students can learn from the performances as well, according to Dennis Hirst, Wassermann Festival director.

 

“Students will gain from hearing the piano produce a kaleidoscope of colors,” Hirst said. “Mr. Plano’s playing is sensitive, beautiful and still virtuosic. It will inspire young musicians to seek beauty in their own practice sessions.”

 

A full schedule of activities, including registration details, is available on the festival Web site.