Reflection, recap of Liu's faculty piano recital
Dr. Christina Liu performed her faculty piano recital entitled "My Favorite Things" on Saturday.
This weekend in the Chapel building, Dr. Christina Liu showcased her talents at her faculty recital. The theme of this recital was “My Favorite Things,” which meant that the recital repertoire was composed of pieces that “are my favorites as well as others that have special meaning to me,” stated Liu.
Liu’s bio gives some insight into all that she does at Bethel College and her history of education: “she currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at Bethel College. … She received her dual-Master’s degree in Solo Piano Performance and Chamber Music Performance from the University of Michigan, and her undergraduate degree in Piano Performance with Pedagogy emphasis from Washington State University.”
Liu’s performance was composed of six pieces. The first of these pieces was, very fittingly, “My Favorite Things,” originally written by Richard Rodgers for The Sound of Music. Liu performed a version arranged by Stephen Hough. This piece perfectly encapsulated the main theme of the performance and was fitting as an opening.
The next piece was “Chaconne” originally written by J.S. Bach for his Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor. The version performed by Liu was arranged by Ferruccio Busoni. It was, of course, originally written for violin, which was the main reason this piece was chosen. Liu stated during her recital that she was a violin player before she learned piano and wishes she wouldn’t have stopped playing.
The following pieces were “Jasmine Flower Fantina” by Wanghua and “Ondine” from Gaspard de la Nuit by Ravel. “Jasmine Flower Fantina” is a traditional Chinese folk song. It is a beautiful piece of music that was picked in memory of Liu’s grandmother. “Ondine” tells the story of a water nymph and a human man, filled with cascading notes and the sounds of water.
The final two pieces Liu performed were “Kitten on Keys” by Zez Confrey, a light-hearted, playful tune about cats, and “The Serpent’s Kiss” by William Bolcom, which told the story from Genesis, where Adam and Eve encounter a serpent. During “The Serpent’s Kiss,” Liu used unorthodox piano techniques such as tongue clicking and hitting elbows on the keys. These, methods, combined with the jazzy, ragtime feel of the song, made for a great closing number.
This fifty-minute performance on Saturday showcased the talent of Liu and the range of expressions she can emote through the piano. This performance also gave a peek into Liu’s contributions to Bethel’s music department.