Crescent Concerts - Courier - Two piano events at Crescent Avenue Church

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Published in the Courier News, Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Seven pianists will play on two Sundays

"A Celebration of Pianists" will feature seven pianists performing on two consecutive Sundays at 3 p.m. Both concerts will be conducted in historic Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, 716 Watchung Ave., Plainfield.

The suggested donation is $15 for each event.

This Sunday's concert will showcase local and international artists, including Christopher Johnson, permanent artist in residence of the Plainfield Symphony since 1999; Victoria Griswold, a soloist and chamber pianist and owner of the Plainfield Music Store; Sandor Szabo, one of the leading organists in the state and music director of the Oratorio Society of New Jersey; Brenda Day, minister of music and organist at the First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen; Edwin Lopez, director of music at St. John the Evangelist Church in Dunellen and Ronald Thayer, organist and minister of music at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church and director of Crescent Concerts.

The musicians will perform solos, duets and duos, as well as some unusual two-piano ensembles for eight hands and 12 hands.

The program will include Schubert's "B-flat Sonata" for piano duet, Liszt's "Tarantella," Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," Chopin's "Fantasie Impromptu," two lesser known works: the Price "Sonata in B-flat" and Bond's "Fantasie on 'Wade in the Water.'"

Debussy, Handel and some others also will be included. One musical highlight will be the rarely heard two-pianos/eight-hands arrangements (four pianists at two pianos) of Carl Maria von Weber's "Invitation to the Dance" and Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2."

On June 11, internationally acclaimed British pianist Clive Swansbourne performs Chopin's "Barcarolle in F-sharp, Op. 60," Haydn's "Variation in F Minor, HOB XVII: 6," Ravel's "Prelude and Forlane (Le Tombeau de Couperin)," Brahms' "Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, Op. 24" and Rachmaninoff's "Prelude in C, Op. 32," Prelude in D, Op. 23, No. 3" and "Etude-tableau in D, Op. 39, No. 9."

Swansbourne, born and educated in England, studied at London's Royal College of Music, then earned his doctorate from Yale University's School of Music, where he studied with Ward Davenny and Claude Frank. Swansbourne had performed to critical acclaim throughout the United States and is a frequent performer in Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada.

The two concerts present a rare opportunity to hear so many superb artists under one roof and support Crescent Avenue's ongoing effort to bring the finest music to the community as well. The church's acoustically superb sanctuary is home to Crescent Concerts, the Plainfield Symphony, as well as the new Gilbert Adams organ of 5,124 pipes. The venue is handicapped-accessible. For further information, call (908) 756-2468 or 756-3157.

-- Submitted by Crescent Concerts

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