Judith Merion Piano Concert

On Sunday, September 28, at 2:30pm, join us at the West Tisbury Library for a concert with local pianist Judith Merion. Join us for an afternoon of music as Judith performs two pieces: First is Goldberg Variations BWV 988 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750); second is Sonata in E Flat major Opus Posthumous 122 D568 by Franz Schubert (1797-1828). Free and open to the public.

“It is believed that Bach wrote the Goldberg Variations in 1740-41. There are no autographed manuscripts available. It consists of an aria whose theme is the basis for the subsequent 30 variations concluding with a repetition of that same aria. Bach’s elder sons provided the information that this piece was commissioned by the Imperial Count Hermann von Keserlingk for his resident harpsichordist, Johann Gottlieb Goldberg. Goldberg was known to be an enormously talented and precocious pupil of Bach’s, though he would have been only 12 or 13 years old at the time the piece was composed! The Count requested of Bach “clavier pieces which would be soothing and rather cheerful in character”. (Christoph Wolff in the preface to the Wiener Urtext Edition). I find this piece to be a sublime example of the inherent and engaging deep spirituality of which Bach is so capable.

Franz Schubert, born in war-shadowed Vienna and dying tragically of typhus at the age of only 31 years old was an extraordinarily prolific composer. He stood musically between two worlds, the Classical and the Romantic and wrote many works of “extraordinary melodic beauty”. (Joseph Wechsberg, “Schubert, His Life, His Work, His Time”) This was one of many pieces published after his death, so we lack authentic monographs for this work as well. It’s 4 movements, Allegro Moderato, Andante Molto, Menuetto and Allegro moderato are magically beautiful and capture his Classical/Romantic expression.  The fourth movement, especially, is what I sing to people and myself to act as an antidote to troubling times and themes.

I have been playing piano since a very young age. I earned my living after college teaching piano at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, where I also performed. Additionally, I have concertized in many smaller venues, with great delight. I find enormous joy in the sharing the music I love.” -Judith Merion