Andreas Klein promises his piano selections will dazzle, mystify, and surprise listeners, and reveal to them the true appreciation of witnessing music in person.
Klein, a German pianist based out of New Jersey, performs in Markel Auditorium this Sunday. The Berlin-born performer selects specific and different pieces for each performance, his stop at Hillsdale College being no exception.
“Whenever I perform, I try to tell a story with my music,” Klein said. “Instead of using words, a composer uses music, and I select pieces that make sense as a musical story.”
Klein is prepared to tell Hillsdale the musical story of fantasy with his selections for the performance, which includes Fantasia no. 4 by Mozart, a Chopin ballade, and a tango by Stravinsky.
“These selections are magical and mysterious, tragic, and have elements of jazz, folk, and dance; they are full of surprises for the listeners,” Klein said.
A master class, taught by the performer, will follow the concert. The master class gives music students with a proficiency in piano a chance to perform for Klein and hear his criticisms, opinions, and suggestions.
“I’ve never worked with a concert pianist of Klein’s status, so I am excited to receive his feedback,” said Taylor Flowers, who will attend the class.
Flowers is a junior at Hillsdale and majoring in music. He will perform the first movement of Franz Schubert’s sonata in B-flat major for Klein. Flowers expressed excitement for the concert, especially concerning Klein’s musical selection.
“Klein has a popular discography of various eras of classical piano music and his concert repertoire reflects this diversity,” Flowers said.
The music department anticipates a good performance from the renowned musician.
“Klein came highly recommended by our music staff, specifically the piano teachers, and I’m excited to hear his performance,” music department chair and professor James Holleman said.
Klein discovered piano through his father and grandmother, both of whom played extensively in his childhood home. His romantic appreciation of music comes from his experimenting on the piano while growing up.
“I would clunk around on the piano and discover that certain sounds were better than others,” Klein said.
Klein is passionate about his music, and believes that modern education and culture do not stress music or the arts as much as they did before. The artist explained that most people today would rather attend a sporting event or watch television than see a concert or listen to music.
“It’s a pity that in school and throughout childhood, musical education is not at the center of learning, or even important,” Klein said.
By performing on the piano, Klein believes he is imparting the true intentions of the composer onto the listener.
“The composer wrote the piece with the idea that music is to be shared with other people,” he said. “It’s commercial, yes, but the true intention of the performer is to share music with others.”
Besides piano, Klein is also a musical producer, recording classical music selections of his clients. He said that he is passionate about this as well, because it is helping to increase the amount of music in the world. His production company is Ultimo Productions.