Each year the University of California, San Diego hosts a plethora of concerts in the renowned Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, featuring recitals by the students who study there. On Dec. 4 the venue was host to a captivating duo recital, featuring two of UCSD’s piano performance graduate students. Kyle Adam Blair and Todd Moellenberg performed a variety of challenging pieces on piano which simultaneously featured both players.
Needless to say, performance method and coordination involve a unique set of challenges when instruments of the same kind are involved. As the orientation of the pianos shifted between pieces, Moellenberg and Blair maintained a most-precise level of communication, exchanging silent signals throughout the program. Even as percussionist Ryan Nestor, a fellow UCSD performance major, joined, the players preserved a sense of unity in the performance.
The content of the program proved to be no less extraordinary. The players opened with a piece by Mauricio Kagel entitled “Capriccio,” followed by Claude Debussy’s 1915 suite, “En blanc et noir.” The Debussy piece propelled the audience through a variety of musical textures, each movement with a feel distinct from its antecedent.
Following intermission, Moellenberg and Blair premiered “American Etude No. 4-Study of George Antheil’s ‘The Airplane’” by UCSD composition student, Hunjoo Jung. The composition set itself apart from the rest of the program, involving interesting preparations which gave one piano a tinny timbre.
Jung’s composition gave the players the opportunity to stun listeners with a startling and emphatic concluding measure. Moellenberg’s explosive energy was readily employed during the performance of this piece; each iteration seemed to involve every fiber of his body. Similarly, Blair remained passionately engrossed in his playing through to that point of the concert.
The program continued to engage listeners as varied instrumentation was utilized. Ryan Nestor joined his peers on percussion while Blair transitioned to the celesta for the performance of “Refrain” by Karlheinz Stockhausen. In this trio arrangement, the players were able to maintain their coordination.
Moellenberg and Blair brought the program to a close with a Gyorgy Ligeti composition-“Three Pieces for Two Pianos.” The second movement required consistency and stamina in its performers, involving repetitive and rapid segments of considerable duration. Both players shared this final piece with the same commitment they displayed to the opening composition. Through their duo recital performance, Moellenberg and Blair successfully conveyed the power of close collaboration, musical aptitude, and passion to impact a group of listeners. Should community members wish to observe other performances by either musician, they can refer to their respective personal web pages or visit the UCSD Department of Music Concert Calendar.
