By Michelle Seitz Staff writer
Pianist Irena Ravitskaya will perform a guest recital on March 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Stretansky Concert Hall.
Ravitskaya is originally from Moldova, in the former Soviet Union before she immigrated to the United States in 1995. She currently serves as associate professor of music at Fort Hays State.
Ravitskaya performs a variety of pieces from Baroque to modern and is especially fond of pieces by Ludwig von Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin and several Russian composers.
She is also acquainted with Associate Professor of Music Marcos Krieger, who has known her for several years. He believes that “she is a pianist with great power.”
The first piece she will perform is Beethoven’s “Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13.” Commonly referred to as “Sonata Pathétique,” the sonata was written in 1798 as Beethoven was becoming aware of his increasing deafness.
The piece opens with a grave introduction that is considered the most powerful introduction of all of Beethoven’s sonatas. The piano chords are written in a way that almost sounds orchestral. The sonata concludes with a rondo, a repetative theme that occurs after each new theme, that recaptures the general theme of the piece.
Revitskaya will then perform Chopin’s “Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23.” According to the program, it has a nostalgic, waltz-like first theme, passionately heroic middle section, acrobatic leaps and a dazzling high-wire-act coda.
Chopin’s ballads are thought of as tonal dramas, which are extended multi-section works with sharply characterized themes and subtle shadings.
According to the program, the ballads were written in the early-mid 1800s and share a tripartite structure and meter of either 6/8 or 6/4.
The next piece Ravitskaya will perform is Nikoli Medtner’s “Sonata Reminiscenza, Op. 38, No. 1.” Medtner was recognized in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century as one of the most important composers.
The sonata was written amidst the Russian Revolution and published in 1922. It is a single movement with the opening theme returning as a coda throughout.
Eight different melodies with strong relationships with one another are present throughout the piece, based off repetitions of phrases proceeded by digressions. The themes are varied by different harmonies.
The final piece Ravitskaya will perform is Sergei Prokofiev’s “Sonata No. 3, Op. 28.” It is one of two Prokofiev pieces performed in a single movement.
The sonata, along with the fourth, was composed in 1917 around the time he was working on his Classical Symphony. They are subtitled “From the Old Notebooks,” revealing they are based off old sketches from 1907.
“Sonata No. 3” features short sections that are marked by sharp contrasts in moods, dynamics, articulation, textures and power.
The piece’s melodic content is derived from two themes that are transformed and developed, producing a dramatic and symphonic work.
