Pianist's "valedictory series"

CYNTHIA RAMSAY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

World-renown pianist Robert Silverman has two upcoming solo recitals at the Chan Centre at the University of British Columbia (UBC). At the concerts, people will have a chance to hear pieces that Silverman himself chose for his enjoyment in playing them, including Beethoven's 33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, which Silverman describes as "an hour's worth of the most intense music-making" for the piano.

Silverman's March 16 program at the Chan Centre features Bach's Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in C-sharp Minor, Copland's Variations (1930), Liszt's Variations on a Theme of Bach Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, and the Beethoven variations. The May 11 concert includes music by Rameau, Schubert, Brahms and Scriabin.

In selecting the programs, Silverman said he thought a lot about the fact that this is his "valedictory series," as he called it, as a full-time faculty member of the University of British Columbia.

"I wanted to play some pieces that I like and only pieces that I really like," he said.

As well, he was interested in variations for the piano, how certain pieces influence other pieces or how the same ideas can be found in different works.
"And then the other thing is that I wanted to do some pieces ... that people in Vancouver have not heard me play," he added.

Though born in Montreal, Silverman left when he was young and, according to him, he never looked back. He knew that he wanted to live on the West Coast and he got his chance with a job at UBC. He moved to Vancouver in 1973.

Silverman has performed on stages around the world and he has some 25 recordings. Asked how his being Jewish is received by audiences, especially since the beginning of the latest intifada, Silverman said that it has only come into play "east of the Ottawa River and before you reach the Maritimes."

"I cannot claim to be religious in any sense," said Silverman. "But I definitely do feel a sense of identification with some of the values of Judaism, particularly the emphasis on study."

While Silverman will no longer be working full time at UBC, he stressed that he will continue part-time.

"I love teaching, actually, and I'd never want to totally give it up," he said.

As for other projects, Silverman said he is planning another round of Beethoven sonata cycles, including one in Washington, D.C., he has other concerts on his schedule and he has recording projects "piling up." Orpheum Masters will soon be releasing a CD of Silverman's first performance in the solo recital series, which took place Jan. 19 and featured the music of Liszt and Schumann.

Individual tickets for March 16 and May 11 are $30/$23; two-concert tickets are $50/$38. They can be purchased through Ticketmaster, 604-280-3311 or www.ticketmasterca. For information, call 604-822-2697 or visit www.chancentre.com.

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