Although the severe snowstorm had long passed, disappearing lanes and snow-capped sidewalks were still the order of the day on Saturday, February 14th, when we performed at Grace House Assisted living in Silver Spring. Six of seven faithful members braved the cold weather and arrived by 3:45 p.m. for the recital which started at 4:00 p.m. Unfortunately, the 7th participant fell ill, and she was not able to attend. Gregory Riviello willingly stepped up to the plate at short notice and increased his playlist to compensate. There were 24 residents all dressed in red for Valentine’s Day, seated in a semi-circle around the Kohler and Campbell baby Grand piano. After a brief introduction about the AMSF, the recital began with Jodi Lipson, the first of five pianists on the program.
Jodi played “Melody” (or “Dance of the Blessed Spirits”) from the opera Orpheus and Eurydice by Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787). The most famous piano transcription was done in 1878 by composer Giovanni Sgambati (1841–1914). The arrangement is renowned for its romantic, delicate, and lyrical interpretation of the original flute melody from Act II. Jodi’s playing was definitely lyrical, and her gentle but passionate touch produced the calm and peaceful atmosphere characteristic of the piece.
New member Wayne Landsman followed with “Somewhere” and “Maria” which are two iconic songs from the 1957 Broadway Musical West Side Story with music by American composer Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021). Because of his strong harmony skills, Wayne’s piano arrangements are always unique as he experiments with chords, rhythms, and tempos to produce delightful tuneful renditions of famous songs. The residents hummed along wistfully to Wayne’s enchanting music as they were transported back in time to West Side Story which is a modern musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Veteran AMSF member Chris Witsberger played next. Chris has performed in Community Outreach recitals since the days when Anne Williams coordinated the series many years ago. She played two Intermezzos by German composer Johannes Brahms (1833–1897). They were Op. 119 No. 1 in B minor and Op. 118 No. 2 in A major both written in 1893. Marked “Adagio,” the B minor is the first of his Four Pieces for Piano, and is known for its intense, melancholic, and deeply expressive nature. Marked “Andante teneramente,” the A major is part of his Six Pieces for Piano. Both sets belong to his Klavierstucke composed as his final set of piano works. Brahms’ piano music is notoriously challenging, but with good control and excellent dynamics, Chris rose to the occasion and delivered competent and musical renditions of both pieces.
It was a rare treat to have the treasurer of the AMSF, Louis Reichwein, participating in this recital. He played three contrasting pieces by not so well-known composers. They were Romance Op. 24 No. 9 in Db major by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), Etude Op. 4 No. 3 in Bb minor by Polish composer Karol Szymanoski (1882–1937), and “Spoon River” by Australian composer Percy Grainger (1882–1961). The Romance began with the melody in the left hand and featured a lot of imitation and scale movement, both chordal and unison, which Louis mastered with ease. Not for the faint of heart, the Etude utilized the entire keyboard with huge leaps in the left hand and fast scale runs throughout ending dramatically on a single low bass note. The Grainger piece was a complete contrast with a more staccato touch peppered with loud intermittent accented chords. It was rhythmical with hands often imitating each other, and the closing passage sounded like a carillon of bells. By successfully performing pieces in three completely different styles, Louis left no doubt as to his musical prowess.
Gregory Riviello was the fifth pianist, and he played Nocturne Op. 55 No. 1 in F minor by Polish composer Frederic Chopin (1810–1849); “Strangers in the Night” by German composer Bert Kaempfert (1923–1980) with lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder — made famous in 1966 by Frank Sinatra; and “A Sunday Kind of Love” written in 1946 by Barbara Belle, Louis Prima, Anita Leonard, and Stan Rhodes. Gregory’s fourth selection was “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” written in 1967 by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and made famous by Frankie Valli. The Nocturne was beautifully played as Gregory made the melancholic melody sing and exploited the staid dynamics to captivate the audience with his sensitivity. He then switched seamlessly to the romantic mood of the three famous love songs that delighted the residents as they sang along because several of them knew all the words.
Remaining at the piano, Gregory donned his “Elvis” glasses to accompany Carol Henry in a singalong of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. The song was famously recorded by Elvis Presley for his 1961 film Blue Hawaii. Chris and Louis distributed the written words to both residents and staff, and the evening ended with a beautiful choral rendition of the love song which was the perfect choice for Valentine’s Day. Following the singalong, each resident was given a small gift of a heart with a red ribbon to show our appreciation. When we took our group photo at the end holding large red tinsel hearts, the warm smiles on our faces reflected the same joy that had emanated from the faces of the residents during the recital.