Quad Cities native Thomas Sauer gave voice to the piano and his wife, Serena Canin, made the violin sing at a concert hosted by Chamber Music Quad Cities on January 2, at the Unitarian Church in Davenport. Sauer and Canin, both of whom are music teachers and performers from New York, showed their masterful technique and musicianship to a receptive audience of almost 100 people.
After wishing everyone a happy new year, Sauer warned the audience to expect selections more serious than celebratory – at least during the first half of the concert.
The lanky Sauer began the performance with two pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and one by Dmitry Shostakovich, which had chromatic and minor themes. Long fingers gliding effortlessly across the keys, Sauer visually interpreted the pieces as he played. Sometimes crouching over the keys, at other times throwing his head back and his left leg out, he intermittently pounded and caressed the ivory, ever surrounded by music urgent, lyrical, and mystifying. During more staid passages, Sauer sat stiffly, wrists up and back straight, just as my piano teacher taught me to play.
Before he began, Sauer explained that both Bach fugues were inspired by Frederich the Great of Prussia in 1747, who asked Bach to improvise a fugue in three voices based on a theme Frederich had written. Bach obliged. Later, the king requested a fugue in six voices, but Bach declined and improvised on a simpler theme. After a few months, Bach sent Frederich a written copy of the fugue in three voices and the one in six based on the theme Frederich requested. Sauer’s rendition of the centuries-old pieces, named a Ricercare a 3 and Ricercare a 6 from Musical Offering, BWV 1079, was a fitting introduction to his skill and musicianship. With a steady tempo and regimented format, these pieces were given texture with turns, trills, and eighth notes, which accompanied the complex format of the fugue to keep the pieces moving and interesting.
Shostakovich’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61 was a modern interlude to the more traditional Bach fugues. According to Sauer, this piece is not widely played in the United States, partly because Shostakovich composed it in 1942, when Russian composers were not generally accepted in our country.
This piece gave Sauer a workout, as the melody changed hands, octaves, and keys. During one movement, the left hand played a repeated pattern near the center of the keyboard while the right played a melody in the treble clef and then crossed over the left hand to play the same melody in the bass. Later, Sauer again played a repeated pattern in the center with the melody passing from treble to bass, but this time, both hands took part in the accompaniment and the melody, playing part of the melody and returning to the center to carry on the accompaniment.
Although it would be difficult to keep the dynamics of the accompaniment steady while switching like this, Sauer handled it well. He showed skill in treble and bass clefs, with both hands handling technical passages equally well.
After a short interlude, during which the audience got up and mingled cordially, the willowy Canin joined her husband for Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin & Piano in F Major. The piece was beautifully executed, with equal contributions from the performers. Canin’s tone and the timbre of the violin were marvelously rich and full. Coupled with an emotional and skilled performance, this was easily my favorite of the afternoon. The violin added texture to the sound of the piano. The performers complemented each other well during sections when the violin and piano traded melodies and when they played in unison. Many times the violin and piano resembled hero and heroine pledging their love during a dramatic scene in an opera.
Finally, Sauer performed Frederic Chopin’s Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, which must be one of his favorites. With flourish, he was enveloped by the music and invited us to join him in his exuberant enjoyment of the piece. Intermittently technical and emotional, Chopin’s piece ended the afternoon flawlessly and joyously, sending the audience home with a smile.
After wishing everyone a happy new year, Sauer warned the audience to expect selections more serious than celebratory – at least during the first half of the concert.
The lanky Sauer began the performance with two pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and one by Dmitry Shostakovich, which had chromatic and minor themes. Long fingers gliding effortlessly across the keys, Sauer visually interpreted the pieces as he played. Sometimes crouching over the keys, at other times throwing his head back and his left leg out, he intermittently pounded and caressed the ivory, ever surrounded by music urgent, lyrical, and mystifying. During more staid passages, Sauer sat stiffly, wrists up and back straight, just as my piano teacher taught me to play.
Before he began, Sauer explained that both Bach fugues were inspired by Frederich the Great of Prussia in 1747, who asked Bach to improvise a fugue in three voices based on a theme Frederich had written. Bach obliged. Later, the king requested a fugue in six voices, but Bach declined and improvised on a simpler theme. After a few months, Bach sent Frederich a written copy of the fugue in three voices and the one in six based on the theme Frederich requested. Sauer’s rendition of the centuries-old pieces, named a Ricercare a 3 and Ricercare a 6 from Musical Offering, BWV 1079, was a fitting introduction to his skill and musicianship. With a steady tempo and regimented format, these pieces were given texture with turns, trills, and eighth notes, which accompanied the complex format of the fugue to keep the pieces moving and interesting.
Shostakovich’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 61 was a modern interlude to the more traditional Bach fugues. According to Sauer, this piece is not widely played in the United States, partly because Shostakovich composed it in 1942, when Russian composers were not generally accepted in our country.
This piece gave Sauer a workout, as the melody changed hands, octaves, and keys. During one movement, the left hand played a repeated pattern near the center of the keyboard while the right played a melody in the treble clef and then crossed over the left hand to play the same melody in the bass. Later, Sauer again played a repeated pattern in the center with the melody passing from treble to bass, but this time, both hands took part in the accompaniment and the melody, playing part of the melody and returning to the center to carry on the accompaniment.
Although it would be difficult to keep the dynamics of the accompaniment steady while switching like this, Sauer handled it well. He showed skill in treble and bass clefs, with both hands handling technical passages equally well.
After a short interlude, during which the audience got up and mingled cordially, the willowy Canin joined her husband for Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin & Piano in F Major. The piece was beautifully executed, with equal contributions from the performers. Canin’s tone and the timbre of the violin were marvelously rich and full. Coupled with an emotional and skilled performance, this was easily my favorite of the afternoon. The violin added texture to the sound of the piano. The performers complemented each other well during sections when the violin and piano traded melodies and when they played in unison. Many times the violin and piano resembled hero and heroine pledging their love during a dramatic scene in an opera.
Finally, Sauer performed Frederic Chopin’s Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, which must be one of his favorites. With flourish, he was enveloped by the music and invited us to join him in his exuberant enjoyment of the piece. Intermittently technical and emotional, Chopin’s piece ended the afternoon flawlessly and joyously, sending the audience home with a smile.
