JUILLIARD: A MORE CONVENTIONAL VIEW (10/13/2010)

It is the very nature of a conservatory to preserve, protect and pass on certain traditions. The recital I attended featured four piano students at Juilliard. They performed at the beautiful Paul Recital Hall at Juilliard on Wednesday, October 13, 2010. The program did not indicate if they were undergraduate or graduate students.  Works by Robert Schumann, Chopin, Haydn, Szymanowsky, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff were performed.  While all of the music was musically and confidently performed, the Haydn Sonata in C minor performed by Jun Sun was quite sensitive and communicative.  For me, the final pianist of the day, Jiayan Sun, delivered a most thoughtful and artistic performance of  Beethoven's Sonata in F-sharp Major, Op. 78 and six Rachmaninoff preludes.  His range of dynamics and tonal color along with a wonderful sense of timing gave each work an individual quality that kept listeners in the moment. 

 The students all performed on a Fazioli piano.