By Danielle Bettendorf Asst. living & arts editor
Senior Alethea Khoo performed her senior piano recital in Stretansky Concert Hall on April 2.
Khoo performed “Prelude and Fugue No. 21 in B flat Major, BWV 866” by Johann Sebastian Bach, “Sonata No. 12 in A flat Major ‘Funeral March,’ Op. 26” by Ludwig Van Beethoven, “Hommage a Rachmaninoff” and “Hommage a Faure” by Robert Helps, “Toccata, Op. 57” by Tyzen Hsiao, “Papillons, Op. 2” by Robert Schumann and “Etude in C sharp Minor, Op. 10 No. 4” by Frederic Chopin.
Khoo noted that one of the pieces, “Papillons, Op. 2,” was inspired by a story that helped her bring it to life.
“It’s actually a set of character pieces,” Khoo said. “Each one is unique, but it’s all connected together. As I was playing through, I was also able to figure out my own storyline.”
Khoo continued to explain that the work represents a masked ball, and those themes come up in the piece.
“I kind of placed on each character piece my own idea of how to make it come alive,” Khoo said. “I really do imagine a masked ball, and some of those relate very well to the kind of music and the sweeping gestures. Then I think of a different one, and it’s kind of a glass box idea where everything is very shimmering and it creates kind of a filigree effect.”
“I characterize my own ideas within the storyline and what I think would make that character come alive and differentiate between each piece,” Khoo continued. “[That] is sometimes difficult because it’s supposed to be a whole unified work, but there are so many ideas and you have to find a way to connect them all, but still have [their] own individuality.”
Khoo also noted the amount of effort that goes into playing music and how that reflects in the performance.
“In performing, it’s more than physical,” Khoo said. “At the end, you should not be just physically exhausted, but you should be mentally and emotionally [exhausted] because it takes so much energy to perform.”
“At the end, you’re just trying to make sure you stay focused, and you want that last piece and last set of pieces to be just as good as your beginning set,” Khoo continued. “It was really great to perform such great works, and some were quite difficult, but it all takes time and certain dedication and focus to the end.”
Khoo continued to say that the audience plays a big role in any performance, and that because of that, each performance is different.
“One reason why I really love performing live, rather than video recording, is that each performance isn’t the same,” Khoo said. “I have ideas, and I know what I want to do with the piece, but in that split second, I feel the audience’s emotions and it contributes to how I play. Each performance that I give—even if I’ve performed it five or 10 times—not one of them is going to sound the same.”
“It was so nice to see the audience’s enthusiasm and support, and especially at the very end, to see everyone happy,” Khoo continued. “That’s what I want to do as a performer: I want to relate my feelings to [the audience]. That at the end, it would be a journey that really was worth all the hardships and different emotions. That they come out, and they are changed. Something is different.”
