Arts

Senior Recital: Marga Kempner ’12 and Enek Peterson ’12

The tunes of several different instruments combined for the Senior Recital featuring Marga Kempner ’12 on violin and Enek Peterson ’12 on cello on Sunday, May 6th, in the Timken Room of Graves Hall.

Kempner and Peterson were accompanied by Diane Lim, Adjunct Instructor in Music, in several pieces that enhanced the overall recital.

Kempner began the concert with “Partita No. 3 in E major, S. 1006” by Johann Sebastian Bach, which provided a unique melody of alternating notes that built up to a strong resolution.

The swift notes and cheerful tones of the piece were a pleasing opening to the recital.

Peterson and Lim then performed “Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Major, Op. 69” by Ludwig van Beethoven, which was a contrast from the first piece due to its slower, richer sound.

The flowing, smooth notes of the cello and the rapid notes of the piano harmonized well together, and the performers were very expressive in the way that they moved along with the music.

The next two pieces, “Scherzo Tarantelle, Op. 16” by Henryk Wieniawski and “Double Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043” by Johanna Sebastian Bach combned all three instruments in a harmony that rang throughout the room.

The piece featured the violin and cello playing octaves of the same melody and the piano playing light scales in the background, providing a contrasting yet harmonized performance.

“My favorite piece was the ‘Scherzo Tarantelle, Op. 16’ because of the fast and lively pace. It was very upbeat, so it was exciting to hear,” said Katia Lezine ’14.

Following a short intermission, Kempner and Lim performed “Sonata for Violin and Piano in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1” by Ludwig van Beethoven, a piece that resonated with bright, animated tones.

Peterson shined in her solo piece, “Suite for Cello Solo” by Gaspar Cassado, which was a very unique piece featuring deep notes and intense accelerandos.

“I’ve known Marga and Enek for a while, and I know how hard they worked on this recital, and I’m really glad that it turned out really well. I really love their sound, and they’re amazing,” said Sunny He ’12.

The finale featured Kempner and Peterson, along with Greg Zhang ’12 on violin and Hannah Lee ’12 on viola, playing “Baby” by Justin Bieber, arranged by Lee, which the audience found amusing.

“The recital was a lot of fun. It’s always nice performing for people and having that exchange with the audience,” Peterson said.

“These pieces are ones that I’ve been working on for a while. The Cassado, I chose because I have a lot of fun with it, and the Beethoven is just part of every child’s repertoire and it’s very creative,” she continued.

“Enek’s a great cellist and it was fun to play the Bach Double together. I also enjoyed performing a Beethoven Sonata with Diane Lim. The unaccompanied Bach Partitas and Sonatas are some of my favorite pieces, and wanted to make sure I was able to play a movement,” said Kempner in an e-mail to The Phillipian.