Attend a piano recital, embark on a journey.
Monday night, yet another acclaimed musician took the stage in the Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall as attendees settled in for an hour of entertainment.
Originally from Derry, Northern Ireland, Cathal Breslin came to the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar, receiving a doctorate of musical arts from the University of Michigan. He has traveled the world performing, broadcasted regularly on the radio and created the Walled City Music Festival in Derry with his wife. Presently, Breslin is an associate professor of piano and Coordinator of Piano Studies at the University of Memphis.
Jason McDonald, an attendee at the event, explained that he came to the event with his friend Zachary Winters, who attended for his music appreciation course at Pellissippi State. However, he was also motivated by his personal interest in the instrument.
“In general, (the piano) is probably my favorite instrument — that, and violin,” McDonald said. “I like the tonality, how it sounds. Generally, artists, both classical and popular culture (like) Tori Amos … who are piano-heavy, I tend to like more than others. I (expect) to just listen and enjoy, relax. I work at the UT hospital, and it was a very long day. So something nice and relaxing at the end of the day is good.”
Tyler Province was also drawn to the event by his love for piano. He found out about Breslin’s performance through the campus events page.
“I love classical performance … I was browsing through the (campus) event page and I saw this, and here I am,” Province said. “I used to play piano, and I think there is a broader compositional range on the piano than other instruments.”
Breslin opened with the Russian compositions “3 Etudes-tableaux” by Sergei Rachmaninov, which included “D Minor Op. 33 No. 4,” “A Minor Op. 39 No. 2,” and “E-flat Minor Op. 39 No. 5.” He engaged with the audience quite often, elucidating not only small histories behind the pieces but his own interpretations of how he chose to play them.
Breslin moved between classical pieces and contemporary rhapsodies and fantasies with a freer stylistic form. Next in line was Nikolai Medter’s “Sonata-Elegie in D Minor Op. 11 No. 2.” Then Breslin returned to Rachmaninov with variations on a theme of “Corelli, Op. 42.” He spoke of specific pieces of Rachmaninov that evoked the “tranquility and turbulence of the sea,” which “seems to depict something in flight, like an eagle.” He also commented on his lack of exposure to Nikolai Medtner.
“I was just taken away by why I hadn’t heard of this composer before … It is just largely underrepresented music, and it’s such unique piano writing,” Breslin said of Medtner. “Rachmaninov has his own style, and we get used to that texture and that style in every note, and Medtner has his own unique style. Once I worked on more of his music, I see the intellect behind it and the passion behind it and just the mastery of using the piano as a singing instrument.”
Breslin played with incredible dedication to the compositions, moving his shoulders, hands and head in graceful arcs and strokes with the music. To close out the night, Breslin played “Tres Memorías de Lorca” by Philip Hammond, “Polonaise-Fantaisie Op. 61” by Frédéric Chopin and “Fantasía Bética” by Manuel de Falla.
The next free guest pianist recital at Natalie Haslam Music Center will feature Gustavo Romero and will be held on Feb. 26 at 8 p.m.
