“A Room with a Symphony” is a series of recital projects presenting solo piano transcriptions of great orchestral works. Not only the Liszt transcriptions of the Beethoven Symphonies, although it is undeniable that those are essential. Imagine hearing the Brahms First Symphony and hearing all those beautiful lines that intersect and merge to give that indescribable depth to the orchestral texture, and hearing them up close and transparent played on the piano. This is what I call an inside glimpse of a symphony. Or how about the Schubert Ninth with its multiple layers of temporal activity and its otherworldly modulations that suddenly sound so pianistic and reminiscent of Schubert’s well known piano works? Or Elgar’s Enigma Variations with its mosaic of intimacy and grandeur, which really works at the piano!
There is a very important additional element to “A Room with a Symphony” concert.
Each “A Room with a Symphony” concert program includes several solo piano works related in some way or another to the orchestral transcription presented. The idea behind this is to enhance the audience’s experience in establishing parallels between works which are related in either inspiration, epoch of creation or creative idea. This enables the audience to be a critical listener with a growing awareness of the “how’s” and the “why’s” of musical art.
It is now time to speak of the arrangers. Many of the names of the musicians who created those solo piano arrangements would sound quite unfamiliar to most of us. Most of the arrangements performed at “A Room with a Symphony” concerts were created by musicians who were able to play at least one more instrument in addition to the piano, were mostly virtuoso pianists, and also worked as either choral conductors or “house arrangers” in the many publishing houses of the time, or as both. And some of them taught too. And several of them wrote teaching methods for their instrument. And some of them had studied with Liszt. And some of them were cantors in synagogues. Most of them lived between the 1850’s and the 1930’s. Some were born in the US, but lived most of their adult lives in Germany, like Otto Singer II. Some of them were women, like Nadezhda Rimsky-Korsakov (the wife of the composer). Their names are sometimes not even listed on the operatic vocal score, they have arranged. Others are listed, but there are no pictures of them to be found. Of some only dates and list of arrangements is to be found. They worked in many publishing houses in Germany, France, England, Russia and the United States. What an epoch! So relatively close, so well documented in the music published and yet so mysterious.
It is my opinion that a better understanding of the musical values and processes of this era is invaluable to us in all capacities- performers, audience, students or pedagogues. It is my goal to awaken interest in this period and its musical legacy through the concerts of the “Room with a Symphony” series.
Here are some suggested recital settings and possible situations when “A Room With a Symphony” could be inspiring for an audience:
1. Preview concerts for an upcoming season of a symphony orchestra (following the theory behind film previews “Now that you know the story, go see the show with the full effects.”)
2. Concert venues craving bigger scale works, but having smaller scale resources at their disposal (like a room and a piano, instead of an orchestra and a symphonic hall)
3. Schools looking for ways to inspire their students to develop a wider ranging knowledge of music literature, to explore innovative performing possibilities and to cultivate an inquisitive view of musical structure.