Duo Piano Gala returns after three year hiatus with nine pianists
WORCESTER — Being a pianist can be a singular undertaking, with many hours of solitary practice.
But the participants in the The Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra's 14th Annual Duo Piano Gala on Oct. 29 in Tuckerman Hall won't feel alone as piano players.
Nine pianists will play on two pianos in combinations of two, four, six, and even nine.
Leslie Amper and Randall Hodgkinson are taking part in the Duo Piano Gala for the first time.
"I think it's unusual and yes we're looking forward to it," Amper said about the event.
"It's kind of a fun thing," said Hodgkinson. "Getting us together is a chance to socialize."
The program includes Amper and Hodgkinson playing four-hand arrangements on the same piano of the third movement of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto, Mendelssohn's Allegro Brilliante, and Robert Schumann's Garten Melodie.
Amper and Hodgkinson have some familiarity with the four-hand arrangement of Garten Melodie. They played the piece together at their wedding.
So being a pianist isn't quite such a solitary experience in their household, although practice has its singular demands.
'We have two pianos but not in the same room, so both (of us) can practice at the same time," Amper said.
The couple live in Boston, but are likely well known to area concert-goers. Hodgkinson is a member of the Worcester Chamber Music Society and has performed as a soloist with some of the nation's leading orchestras. Amper has appeared as a soloist with the Boston Pops, Pittsburgh Symphony, and at the Aspen and Monadnock Music Festivals, among others. She has developed piano recital/multimedia programs on subjects such as the Federal Music Project, which she has presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Hodgkinson said he's been aware of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra's Duo Piano Gala. "It's a long-running tradition. I've known about it. This year we got a chance to participate," he said.
Actually, the Duo Piano Gala is back after a three-year hiatus due to COVID. The other pianists taking part are Gillian Berkowitz, Malcolm Halliday, Kallin Johnson, Sima Kustanovich, Olga Rogach, Myron Romanul and Ian Watson — some of whom have been with the gala from the beginning.
In its 14 years the Duo Piano Gala has become a popular event, said Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra executive director Paul Levenson.
"This concert has become such a favorite of audiences who sense the joy of all of the pianists in this unique setting devoted to an exploration
of such diverse piano repertoire," Levenson said.
The artists will be playing on MSO's Steinway grand pianos.
"We're glad to be back presenting this highly popular concert, as it combines many strengths of this organization," Levenson said. "All of the pianists have local ties and are among the most accomplished in this area. Tuckerman Hall's intimacy as well as its superb acoustics allows us to spotlight our terrific pianos and pianists in the best way possible. We're especially thrilled to have Randy Hodgkinson and Leslie Amper this year who round out our stellar cast of first-rate pianists."
Gillian Berkowitz is one of the most in-demand pianists in New York City with extended run performances in over 40 Broadway shows, and has also performed with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra. Malcolm Halliday is the artistic director of Chorale San Miguel in Guanajuato state, Mexico, and former artistic director of the Master Singers of Worcester and Minister of Music at First Congregational Church in Shrewsbury. Kallin Johnson is director of music at Worcester's Notre Dame Academy and is principal pianist with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra.
Sima Kustanovich is on the piano faculty of Clark University and Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts and has performed extensively in the area. Olga Rogach is music director of the First Parish Church of Northboro, and piano accompanist for Greater Worcester Opera. Myron Romanul is principal conductor of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra and First Kapellmeister of the State Theatre in Munich, Germany, and directs the Bayern State Opera and Ballet. Ian Watson is associate conductor of Boston's Handel and Haydn Society and former music director of St. Paul's Cathedral in Worcester.
The program will also include an arrangement of Mozart's Overture to the Marriage of Figaro; Amy Beach's Peasant Dance from Suite for Two Pianos on Old Irish Melodies; an arrangement of Beethoven's Egmont Overture; and an arrangement of Charbrier's Espagna. Additional works include Moskovsky's Spanish Dance; Concertino by Shostakovich; Spanish Dance from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake as arranged by Debussy; Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" as arranged by Grainger; a jazz arrangement of music from "The Wizard of Oz"; and a medley of composer Henry Mancini tunes for nine pianists as arranged by Romanul.
Amper and Hodgkinson said they may know of fellow pianists but sometimes don't really know them personally. Lining up with seven other pianists on two pianos should help with the social aspect.
The couple also play piano together for the fun of it at home, but they are piano professionals so there is often an end result. They have played four-hand arrangements at concerts and festivals, in addition to their wedding.
"We will do it for enjoyment but the enjoyment leads to the performance," Amper said.
14th Annual Duo Piano Gala
When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29
Where: Tuckerman Hall, corner of Tuckerman and Salisbury streets
How much: $30. Call (508) 754-1234 or visit www.masymphony.org.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Duo Piano Gala back at Worcester's Tuckerman Hall after 3-year hiatus
