Concert Report

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 Concert Report

The concert Dawn of the arts was held at the Gertrude. C center in celebration of the
University of Mississippi Institute for the arts, Bruce Levingston and Christine Cowell-Thomas
were among the distinguished performing artists. Bruce Levingston is a concert pianist from the
United States and a prominent figure in modern classical music. He has appeared in several of
the world's most prominent venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Royal
Opera House at Covent Garden. He is known for "exceptional skills as a colorist and a performer
who can hold attention rapt with the softest playing. This report covers the entire concert
focusing on performances by Levingston that I found particularly intriguing.
He started by performing two etudes which I could see and hear a lot of similarities. The two
Etudes begin quietly meditatively. There is a noticeable lack of melodic lines. They begin with a
broken chord pattern in which there is a descending baseline within a sequence of seven chords.
Then the texture changes to block chords in a straight four-four rhythm, building to a climax, and
then it subsides, returning to the broken cord pattern from the beginning. The overall
architectural structure of the piece is similar to that of a pyramid that rises to a peak point and
then gradually goes back down. The A to the beginning broken chord pattern had a distinct
syncopated feel. The piece sounded slightly irregular, and there was a bit of an irregular rhythm
going on. Harmonically the opening sequence formed the nucleus of the Two Etudes. I felt like
the opening of this Etude reminded me of another work I'd heard before. It reminded me of a
short section in the second movement of Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto. At the
beginning of the piece, the strings come in a series of chord progressions from C major to E
major, and they might have felt similar because they're both broken chord patterns using
complex seventh.
Schubert’s, impromptu in A-flat major, Op. 90, No. 4.
The next piece was Schubert’s, impromptu in A-flat major, Op. 90, No. 4, it is the fourth
piece of an 8-piece impromptu by Franz Schubert composed in 1827 for solo piano. Bruce
Levingston delivered the piece in a happy rhythm, which expressed beautiful music. He
represented the bass but seemed to struggle with conveying the trembling, which was uncommon
for a recognized pianist. The room was filled with a cool breeze that felt pleasantly smooth. The
rhythm was regular, and the sound was melodic and clear. I enjoyed the beautiful melodies and
the changing mood.
Frederic Chopin, Etude in F minor Op 10 No 9.
Frederic Chopin produced a technical study in 1829. This etude is one of the twelve
works that comprise Op. 10. It is often recognized as a good left-hand etude since it increases
wrist and finger flexibility. Bruce Levingston brought out the liveliness in the room when he
performed this piece, and he captured the theme. The sound was clear and musical. The rhythm
seemed regular, with just the right change in mood and temperature.
Prelude in sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12 Sergei Rachmaninof (1873-1943)
Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote a collection of thirteen preludes for solo piano in 1910,
known as Op. 32. It completes the collection of 24 Preludes in all 24 major and minor keys,
joining his previous Prelude in C minor, Op. 3/2, and 10 Preludes, Op. 23. Bruce Levingston’s
performance first lacked rhythm, and the melody was undetectable. Later, he got his grip
together and delivered a melodic sound that anyone there could agree was the high of the night.
Rachmaninoff, the piece was grounded on earth. In this Prelude, Levingston used forms that
included serious counterpoint, fugues, and variation. The music felt like it had to mean
something as a statement. All of the compositional techniques used were planned, and main
melodies and sub-melodies/counter melodies were carefully placed and developed to their
climatic point. The structures of his preludes were built according to the high point of the music.
The Rachmaninoff prelude piece was the high point of Levingston’s performances.

After the Rachmaninoff piece, the Beethoven piece was next on the program, but
unfortunately, Levingston did not get a chance to perform it. I’m confident to report that this was
disappointing to me and to some of the guests too. However, he made it up to the audience by
playing a piece he has yet to release.
The director, Nancy Maria Balach, briefly introduced the University of Mississippi Institute for
the Arts. The show was later followed by a film by Will Jones, The Art at the University of
Mississippi. The film was full of life and expressed some funny, relatable concepts. The film
captured the audience’s attention through its well-expressed themes. The next performance
would be a duo between Christine Powell-Thomas, mezzo-soprano, and distinguished guest
Bruce Levingston, pianist. They performed the famous piece Ombra Mai Fu composed by
George Friedrich Handel. Christine Powell’s voice was all-natural, mature, and well-controlled.
One could say her voice produces a homogenous shaping of vowels. She sang so softly that some
audience and I couldn’t stop our tears.
Clair de lune Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Claude Debussy's Clair de lune was composed in 1862. Levingston utilized a wide
variety of piano notes. Within this range, The audience recognized chromatic and complete tonal
scales. This piece uses the ternary form. The work had a homophonic texture, which meant that
the top line provided the melody while the bottom line provided the rhythm. Conjunct is a good
way to characterize the music. This music harmony was composed in D Flat Major and followed
the melody. Compound meter and 9/8th time can describe the rhythm across the whole work.
The composition starts with a light timbre, but as it goes on, it gets heavier and darker with time.
Levingston delivered a quality performance of the Clair Del lune piece.
The Debussy piece was followed by a dramatic reading of Paul Verlaine's Clair de lune by
Katherine Reese Overstreet, Samantha Turner, Parker Viator Rory, Ledbetter, direction, Chloe
King, marimba, and Bruce Levingston, piano. The reading was lively, and it brought laughter
and humor to the room while simultaneously representing a harmonic and melodic sound that
was relaxing to the audience. The harmony changed the keys and mood rapidly and frequently to
deliver a dramatic message. Overall everyone enjoyed the reading.
Verlaine's piece was followed by two more pieces and one surprise performance by Bruce
Levingston. One of the pieces was William Grant Still, Summerland (from Three Visions) didn't
seem to catch the audience's attention like the other pieces, and the room only ended up feeling
dull. The other piece also lacked audience interactions and was generally uninteresting, which
showed that the audience was tired or the performer had already lost his grip. It didn't stop him
from performing the unreleased piece. Levingston performed Amazing Grace, which sounded
just about right in terms of melody, harmony, texture, and the instrumentation displayed the right
color and mood. The piece is set to be released in the year 2023.
The overall concert was very well done, and I was impressed by the skill of the pianists.
He was able to play flawlessly, and his performance was truly amazing. I found myself
continuously drawn in by his music. After the concert, I can confidently say that it changes my
perspective on this genre. The music was enjoyable, and I was surprised to find myself enjoying
it. I would recommend this genre to anyone who enjoys classical music.