Jeffrey Siegel’s Keyboard Conversations are always rich with fascinating facts about the great composers. His Russian Rapture program coming to George Mason’s Center for the Arts is built around works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, two of the most familiar and beloved Russian composers. He comes armed with surprises. “Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff have in common the rare ability to write beautiful melodies,” Siegel said. “Their music touches the heart, enchants the ear and stays in our musical memory. We all know their lovely ballet scores and symphonies, but we don’t often hear the piano pieces in their prolific repertoire. In fact, many listeners are unaware of them.
“I begin each set with a humoresque and close with a big number. Composers like Schumann and Dvorak wrote humoresques to reflect witty and amusing moods. Tchaikovsky’s is his Opus 10 No. 2, among more than 100 piano pieces he wrote. Like all his piano pieces, the Theme and Variations on his Opus 19 No. 6 is virtuosic and has everything. It’s full of lovely melodies, exciting rhythms and a soulful middle section.
“I’ll play Rachmaninoff’s famous prelude, one of 10 he wrote, and his big etude composed just before he left Russia. He was from the landed gentry of that country but decided to leave when he knew the revolution was coming. The etude sounds as if he’s happy to get out of Russia.”
| Onstage |
| Keyboard Conversations features music by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff |
| Where: George Mason University Center for the Arts |
| When: 7 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: $19 to $38, youth through 12th grade half-price with adult; 888-945-2468; cfa.gmu.edu |
Siegel now performs his Keyboard Conversations in 21 cities. The first concert he gave in this format at George Mason University was 30 years ago. Since then, he has returned four times each season to delight audiences with the music of major composers and the stories behind many of their works. In March, he returns to Northern Virginia. Instead of Fairfax, he will make his debut performance at the Hylton Center’s Merchant Hall in Manassas.
Other recent additions to his schedule are the acoustically perfect music hall of the new King’s Place complex in London and Michael Feinstein’s Center for Performing Arts in Carmel, Ind., performance halls adjacent to his music archival collection.
“Last May, my first performance in the King’s Place hall was broadcast to this country as ‘Live From England,’ ” he said. “London is very interested in Keyboard Conversations because the programs make listeners experience more than an ear wash of sound.
“The need for this is much greater than when I began. At that time, music education was a vital part of our public schools. What I do has the challenge of getting from one city to another, but it also gives me the fun of presenting the glory of the piano repertoire to those who might otherwise never become acquainted with it.”
