Student pianist Dak Song ’13 marked the end of his Andover piano career with a thrilling Senior Recital that featured a selection of highly-technical
classical piano pieces.
The performance began with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 889.” Song contrasted quick, trilling notes in intricate layers with rapid crescendos.
Song followed with “Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op 31, No. 2” by Ludwig van Beethoven. Beginning slowly and contemplatively, the “Largo-Allegro” movement, the first of three movements in the piece, contrasted relatively short bursts of cheery, peaceful sections with longer, darker sections, culminating when the darker section seemed to overpower the lighter one.
The second movement, “Adagio,” was slower and included both timid, playful sections and heavy, pounding parts. As the movement progressed, the playful section gradually grew more rapid and desperate. Extremely emotional, the movement began with short sets or notes spaced far apart with occasional quicker sections of several notes; it alternated between somewhat faster, hopeful sections and slow, passionate ones.
After a brief intermission, Song continued with “Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38,” by Frederic Chopin. Beginning with gentle waves of soft notes, the piece was initially peaceful. However, it soon grew violent and impulsive. When the initial melody returned, it was more tense and melancholic, and the wide-ranging, intricate notes were contrasted by the
presence of the repetitive low notes.
“The Chopin piece was my favorite,” said Song. “Overall, I liked the second half of the program better because it was the most balanced. It had softness and control as well as
fierceness.”
Song finished the evening with “Basso Ostinato,” a contemporary piece by Rodion Shchedrin. The piece began abruptly and dramatically and then began to center around a series of constant, forceful notes played against a more varied, harsh melody. Though it contained some lighter, more melodic sections, the piece was heavy and domineering overall.
Audience members seemed to thoroughly enjoy his choices. “The performance was fantastic,” said Vijay Rajkumar ’13. “Dak definitely worked a lot, and there was so much intensity.”
“I thought [the performance] was beautiful and expressive. I love how you can tell that he was so into all the pieces,” said Gina Soutendijk ’15.
