Axe ’Em, Jacks!
*This concert has been canceled and may be rescheduled in the spring.*
NACOGDOCHES, Texas 鈥 Pianist Dr. Daniel Milan will present a solo guest recital featuring works by Franz Josef Haydn, Fr茅d茅ric Chopin, Dinu Lipatti and Alexander Scriabin when he performs at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.
Milan describes the program as containing a number of 鈥減ersonal bucket-list pieces.鈥
鈥淭hat said, there is some symmetry in the way that the first half and second half of the recital both end in pieces of similar length in F-sharp major,鈥 Milan explains. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 more, the program heavily features the compositions of Romanian pianist Dinu Lipatti.鈥
Although famously known for his outstanding career as a concert pianist and recording artist, Lipatti鈥檚 untimely death at age 33 of Hodgkin鈥檚 Lymphoma in tandem with his fame as a performer overshadowed his prolific compositional output, according to Milan.
Also connected to the F-sharp symmetry is Lipatti鈥檚 鈥淣octurne鈥 in F-sharp minor, following shortly after Chopin鈥檚 鈥淏arcarolle鈥 in F-sharp major. Chopin is a composer of whom Lipatti was well known to perform and record. Milan鈥檚 program also features a variety of different keyboard sonatas and character pieces. Works include Lipatti鈥檚 Sonatina for Left Hand; Haydn鈥檚 Sonata in C minor; and Scriabin鈥檚 Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp major.
Haydn鈥檚 sonata features 鈥渟ome of the first obvious innovations of the new pianoforte instrument that Haydn utilizes in his frequent and distinctive dynamic markings,鈥 according to Milan.
In Sonatina for Left Hand, Lipatti 鈥渇ollows the very traditional fast-slow-fast movement scheme like that found in the Haydn, but with a diverse and even folk-like tonal language that includes both functional and non-functional harmonies and progressions,鈥 Milan explains.
Milan is assistant professor of piano and piano pedagogy at Texas Woman鈥檚 University in Denton. He has performed in venues across the world including Maccagno, Italy; the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria; the University of Transylvania in Bra葯ov, Rom芒nia; the George Enescu Museum in Bucharest, Rom芒nia; and he was featured in a competition showcase recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Milan has performed in masterclasses with esteemed artist faculty of the Eastman School of Music, the Juilliard School of Music and Berklee College of Music. During his undergraduate studies at Kent State University, he also opened for the Count Basie Band at Elmhurst College in Illinois with the Kent State Jazz Ensemble.
In addition to his career as a classical musician, Milan is also an independent pop recording artist and composer. Since 2007, he has written, recorded and independently released eight original albums of music: five alternative pop albums, one live acoustic album, and a classical album of original compositions for solo piano, additionally including one work for small orchestra.
Cole Concert Hall is located in the Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the 糖心vlog传媒 Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit the box office website. For additional information, contact the 糖心vlog传媒 School of Music at (936) 468-4602.