Loyal readers of the VC know that my son Sam is a very accomplished young pianist — “brilliant” and “magnificent,” I’d say, but then again I’m his dad and, though it’s true (!), you’d probably discount it pretty heavily. Sam’s studying with James Giles at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern Univ., and last month he gave his master’s recital — Mozart, Chopin, and Bach. Check it out, to see if I’m exaggerating — I’ve posted videos over on Youtube (which I had to split up a bit, given Youtube’s 10 minute limit):
Mozart Sonata in C, Allegro — Andante cantabilie — Allegretto
Chopin Nocturnes (B, F-sharp, C minor)
Bach Preludes & Fugue (A, F-sharp, G-sharp minor, E-Flat)
My personal favorites: the C minor Nocturne, and the fabulous performance of the E-flat prelude and fugue, and the 3d movement of the Mozart. [Actually, my favorite of the whole concert was the last piece, the Chopin B major scherzo — but my damned recorder ran out of memory 1/4 of the way through … :( ] You can never have too much beautiful music around — Enjoy!!