A Piano Studio Recital featuring the students of Dr. Sin-Hsing Tsai, scheduled today, Nov. 8, at UTC, will include pieces written for two, four and eight hands.
Among the compositions to be performed are works by Chopin, Liszt, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Arensky and Ravel.
“The students performing are all either winners or runners-up of various music competitions, as well as recipients of numerous awards, so this recital will showcase a spectacular evening of musical ability,” according to a news release.
Two of the most noteworthy performances will be Francois-Adrien Boieldieu’s “Der Kalif von Bagdad” and Aram Khachaturian’s “Sabre Dance.” Both pieces were composed for two pianos and eight hands, a rare form of piano quartet.
According to Music Department officials, this type of ensemble was popular in the late 19th century before the advent of recordings, as it was a mechanism to reproduce and study symphonic works.