2008 Woodie Awards
Dr. Brown impresses with piano
Inga Locke
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Gallery
Dr. William Brown, dean of Geneva Casebolt School of Music, Arts and Letters, awed Southwest Baptist University students and the community with his talents on the piano Thursday, March 27 in Meyer Recital Hall.
Dr. Brown began the evening with "32 Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor" by Ludwig van Beethoven. This piece was very lively and was a good opening piece to get the audience into the mood for classical music.
After completing this piece, Brown gave a thank you and an explanation of what was to fill the rest of the evening. The second and final piece of the evening was the 40 minute piece "Goldberg Variations" also called "Aria with 30 Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Brown told the audience the story behind the piece. Bach's student who was commissioned to play for the Kaiserling (governor) wrote the piece one night when he could not sleep. He called the piece the most virtuoso piece for keyboard literature as well as the culmination of Baroque keyboard literature.
The program included a chart for the audience to follow stating each variation in order.
During the Etudes, Brown's hand would cross multiple times. Being able to see his hands moving was captivating. The intensity that he displayed with the piece made his performance really fun to watch with the visible use of energy and concentration. Brown almost appeared to be playing a sport with the way he need to pause for air periodically while beginning a new variation.
It is always fun to watch someone display their passion and that was exactly what Brown did for the audience, and it is rare to see a musician as talented or as dedicated as Brown. While his performance only included two pieces, all of his talent was shown through the various movements he played. The amount of applause, three times that at a normal concert, and the delight of the audience proved how wonderful Brown's performance was.
Dr. Brown began the evening with "32 Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor" by Ludwig van Beethoven. This piece was very lively and was a good opening piece to get the audience into the mood for classical music.
After completing this piece, Brown gave a thank you and an explanation of what was to fill the rest of the evening. The second and final piece of the evening was the 40 minute piece "Goldberg Variations" also called "Aria with 30 Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Brown told the audience the story behind the piece. Bach's student who was commissioned to play for the Kaiserling (governor) wrote the piece one night when he could not sleep. He called the piece the most virtuoso piece for keyboard literature as well as the culmination of Baroque keyboard literature.
The program included a chart for the audience to follow stating each variation in order.
During the Etudes, Brown's hand would cross multiple times. Being able to see his hands moving was captivating. The intensity that he displayed with the piece made his performance really fun to watch with the visible use of energy and concentration. Brown almost appeared to be playing a sport with the way he need to pause for air periodically while beginning a new variation.
It is always fun to watch someone display their passion and that was exactly what Brown did for the audience, and it is rare to see a musician as talented or as dedicated as Brown. While his performance only included two pieces, all of his talent was shown through the various movements he played. The amount of applause, three times that at a normal concert, and the delight of the audience proved how wonderful Brown's performance was.
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