Acclaimed pianist Brendan Kinsella, treated an audience at the International Museum of Art and Science to an intimate exploration of Frédéric Chopin’s most beloved works as part of the UTRGV Concert Series.
Kinsella, a UTRGV professor of piano in the School of Music, provided insightful commentary throughout the “Poet of the Piano” recital on Jan. 12 at the Clark Gallery at the IMAS on 19900 w Nolana Ave. in McAllen, and along with his masterful interpretations brought Chopin’s musical storytelling to life.
As I sat in the gallery the somber, sweet spell of the piano lifted me from my seat. I along with many in the audience were engulfed by the richness of Chopin’s music.
Kinsella opened by highlighting Chopin’s unique ability to convey entire narratives in just a few minutes.
He explained to the audience, “If you know the 19th century, some of Chopin’s contemporaries, such as Liszt or Schumann, were writing these massive, 30-40, minute piano pieces, it’s such an epic journey,” he said. “But Chopin is able to, like I said, just kind of bring it in and convey the same intensity of the message in a much smaller form.”
And it was true, in a short moment Chopin’s emotional depth intertwined with my own story, like poetry whispered directly to the heart, leaving me with a sullen but delicious aftertaste.
One of the highlights of the program was a recently discovered Chopin waltz, which Kinsella described as “a fragment” that had been lost for nearly 200 years.
“You, today, are going to be among the first people to ever use these live since it was lost,” he told the captivated audience.
Kinsella, acted as a conduit between past and present, connecting the audience to the pain of the broken heart, by delving into the emotional backstory behind some of Chopin’s most famous works, such as the “Farewell Waltz,” which was inspired by the composer’s unrequited love for a Polish noblewoman named Maria Wodzińska.
Kinsella shared with the audience that “after his death, there was an envelope that was discovered with the phrase ‘my sorrows’ written on the cover. And in it was every letter that he had written to this woman, Maria, basically detailing the relationship and kind of the sorrow that he felt not being able to marry her.”
The pianist’s fidelity to Chopin’s music never faltered, drawing inspiration from the master’s pedagogy, and introducing a delightful variation in “Nocturne in E-flat major, op. 9 no. 2.”
The subtle shift offered listeners a new way to appreciate the revered compositions.
After the recital, I spoke with Kinsella about the intimidation some might feel by attending classical music concerts or recitals, especially without having any academic background or prior knowledge of the genre.
His advice for those who are interested in immersing themselves more in classical music is to “just go,” highlighting the wealth of musical opportunities available at UTRGV, from solo piano to orchestra, choir and opera, with numerous free performances throughout the year.
He added “the best thing, I would say, is just when you go to a concert, don’t try to understand it. That’s one of the hang ups.
… I think people go and they try to really, like, understand everything. Don’t. … Go, listen, you’ll definitely hear something that you like … enjoy and identify with.”
