Miguel Navarro
Staff Writer
Pianist Aron Kallay performed two wartime sonatas Sept. 19 as part of the Claremont Colleges Friday Noon Concert Series.
The program featured Beethoven’s “Das Lebwohl Adagio” and “Allegro Inquieto” by Sergei Prokofiev, and Kallay performed before a full house in the Balch Auditorium.
Kallay, who is also a lecturer at Pomona College, began his performance with the Beethoven sonata, which began with a dramatic upbeat sound, capturing the attention of the audience as it symbolized a farewell.
The next piece, “Abwesenheit Andante Espressivo,” contrasted with a very soft and calming melody.
The gentle tone set up the next piece to complete the emotional story being told.
Next Kallay played Beethoven’s “Das Wiedersehen,” a powerful piece symbolizing the return.
As the final note of this piece rang out, the audience burst into applause.
Kallay said he hoped each audience member would interpret the music’s story differently.
“I think in the best of performances, two people sitting right next to each other will have completely different experiences about the piece of music,” Kallay said. “That’s kind of exciting to me.”
“I … like the Baroque era, so I get very thrilled when there are any of those performances,” guest Art Truman of Diamond Bar, who attended the Sept. 19 concert.
For the second half of the concert, Kallay played “Allegro Inquieto,” “Andante Caloroso” and “Precipitato, ” by Prokofiev.
“Prokofiev is just one of those big showpieces,” Kallay said. “A lot of athleticism and beautiful music that many pianists just gravitate toward,” Kallay said.
Each piece symbolized the violence despair of World War II, and the audience seemed to take in the intensity of feelings the music evoked.
Following the concert audience members reflected on their favorite moments.
“The second piece (by) Prokofiev… that’s a very fluffy, very violent piece,” said Akshay Seetharam, Scripps College junior who attended the concert. “It’s very impressive that he played it.”
“It was really easy for me to visualize what could have been happening in each of these scenes,” said junior Scripps College student Katherine Lurie.
The next installment of the Friday Noon Concert Series is today. The Cornucopia Baroque Ensemble will perform at the Lyman Hall on Pomona College campus in Claremont.
The Claremont Colleges’ Friday Noon Concert series is free to all. For more information, visit pomona.edu/academics/departments/music/concert-calendar.
Miguel Navarro can be reached at miguel.navarro@laverne.edu.
Miguel Navarro is a senior journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism, and is a staff writer for the Campus Times. He also serves as a broadcaster at the University of La Verne, and he hopes to one day work in sports media.
