if music be the food of love, let Pandolfi play it!

What a treat from USC Sumter today! Along with an impressive crowd of USC students, faculty and staff, plus lots of us civilians, pianist Thomas Pandolfi put on a master class of virtuosity in the Nettles Auditorium. Billed as a lecture-recital, the concert was more recital than lecture because of time comstraints; however, Pandolfi's brief remarks about each of the four pieces were enlightening, interesting and even amusing.
When he sat down to play Franz Liszt's "Apres Une Lecture du Dante," I expected some of the younger audience members -- particularly the students who were there for extra credit -- to lose attention. Instead, most sat up straighter and seemed intent on listening to Pandolfi's interpretation of Liszt's fantasia, which he wrote after reading Dante's Inferno.
Pandolfi explained that Liszt wrote at the top of his composition, "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here."
"Of course, there are two interpretations possible," he said. "It refers to Hell, but it also might be a warning to any pianist trying to play. It's extremely difficult."
You'd never have suspected just how difficult the piece is, because Pandolfi's technical ability and his sensibility were both spot on in the diabolically technical work.
As I, a non-pianist, was applauding his wonderful performance and sitting there marveling at how anyone could play two such different and difficult parts at the same time -- one with each hand -- Pandolfi announced he'd play a Scriabin nocturne for one hand. Then he made the piece sound as if he were using both.
Three Chopin etudes led nicely into Pandolfi's performance of the solo version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."
He said his task was "to make 10 fingers and two hands do the work of 80 people" (an orchestra plus piano). And he did!
It was a foreshadowing of Pandolfi's all-Gershwin concert set for the Sumter Opera House at 6:30 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 24).
I'm sitting here now listening to his recording of Gershwin's Concerto in F, purchased after the USC Sumter concert, and anticipating tomorrow night's concert. I promise you'll be impressed and have a great time if you attend. Tickets are only $10.
And thanks to USC Sumter, the USC Sumter Korn Trust and hostess Jane Luther Smith for such an entertaining and enthralling lunch.

Sumter Accessibility 2009

Despite the cutback in funding for the arts, curator Frank McCauley has put together an impressive exhibition for the 11th annual Sumter Accessibility art installation. The artists will all have their works on Main Street this year, returning the event after a couple of years centered inside and on the grounds of the Sumter County Gallery of Art. Frank said he hopes this will make the exhibition truly more accessible to everyone.
One of the great things about Accessibility is the opportunity to meet and see the work of artists from all over the world. Their ideas and techniques always seem to have a different slant, usually very innovative and intriguing.
Frank said he received hundreds of responses to his call for entries, and he has selected artists from Canada, Israel, Argentina, Taiwan, New York, California. Huge installations representing landscapes, videos, film, graffiti art and more are in store for those of us who attend the Friday, Oct. 16 opening.
In recent years, Accessibility curators have included local artists, returning the exhibition to its roots when Peggy Chilcutt and Martha Greenway recruited several local female artists to create installations using grocery carts -- it was called Eve a la Cart. That was a big success, and Peggy and Martha followed it with male artists, also using grocery carts. From that modest start, Sumter Accessibility has grown to an internationally recognized and respected art happening.
This year, local artists Terrance McDow and Jamie Caplinger will have their works exhibited downtown in the McDuffie Furniture building. Also at that site, Accessibility will offer a chance to see the work of local high school students, an opportunity not often afforded to those who don't have children or grandchildren studying art in their schools.
Frank said he first saw Accessibility several years ago, when the opening night theme was Night of 100 Marilyns. A Summerville native, he was working on his undergraduate degree in fine arts at Winthrop University. The music, local women dressed as Marilyn Monroe and other entertainment inspired him to bring back more of that element, he said.
So during the opening, from 6-9 p.m., Sumter Cruisers will present a classic car display on Main Street, and the beach and variety music band Second Nature will play. At 7:30 p.m. Sapphire Moon Dance Company will present a unique performance.
Artistic Director Angela Gallo, who also teaches dance at Coker College in Hartsville, describes the company’s focus as being on “human relationships and socio-political issues on successes, failures, and strength – on falling, getting up and persistence.”
Sapphire Moon combines dance with theater by merging text, music, props, videos or other media and installations, so their performance will fit in nicely with McCauley's film and video focus. The company’s mission is to present dance theater works that inspire thought and use dance to take the audience out of their daily routines.
Frank said Canadian artist Jarod Charzewski is expected to arrive in Sumter this Friday, Oct. 9, to begin work on his huge installation at 12 S.Main St. People visiting the downtown area can drop in to see him work and ask questions about his technique and philosophy of his art. Graffiti artist Blu, from Bologna, Italy, will also be working next week, but his arrival date is not set yet.
Sumter Accessibility 2009 looks to be most intriguing. Visit Main Street between the hours and 6 and 9 p.m. on Oct. 16 to see art by some of the world's most creative and cutting edge artists.