Pianist Dr. Kate Lanzer will perform at St. Scholastica

Dr. Kate Lanzer, adjunct professor of piano at The College of St. Scholastica, will present a recital at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 5, in the Mitchell Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.

She will play works by Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Gershwin.

Schubert composed the Piano Sonata in A major, D. 959 in the last year of his life. This monumental work contains some of Schubert's best piano writing, including his signature lyricism, energetic dance rhythms and orchestral texture.

Overall, the sonata takes its listeners on an emotional journey that touches on both the carefree spirit of Schubert's youth and the angst of his later life.

The Etudes-Tableaux (Picture Studies) were composed by Rachmaninoff in 1911 as short, virtuosic, character pieces. They present some of the most demanding technical and musical piano music in a miniature form. Rachmaninoff declared that "the inspiration to compose them [Etudes-Tableaux] was derived principally from picture-impressions of a real or visionary character."

Ravel's Jeux d'eau (Water Games) captures the sensation and underlying energy of moving water - vividly depicting flowing streams, crashing waves, sparkling ripples- through the use of rapid passagework, glissando, high range, and pedal effects.

Ravel stated, "This piece, inspired by the noise of water and by the musical sounds which make one hear the sprays of water, the cascades, and the brooks, is based on two motives in the manner of the movement of a sonata-without, however, subjecting itself to the classical tonal plan."

The 3 Preludes by Gershwin were composed during the rise of Jazz and Blues in the United States, and, as such, are infused with syncopated rhythms, altered "jazzy" chords, and the major-minor duality of the blues.

Lanzer received her doctorate and master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in addition to completing a semester of post-graduate studies at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia.

Along with performing and teaching, Lanzer has nearly completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training certification. Her article "Yoga and Piano: Unifying Musical Intentions with Easeful Actions" will appear in the June/July issue of the American Music Teachers Journal.

For more information contact the St. Scholastica Music Department at (218) 723-6194 or lhouse@css.edu.