Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UNC Music Department’s annual Pleyel Concert is being held virtually this year. Fortunately, the students of Music 286 (Traveling Through Time on the Ivories) and talented musicians at UNC have pre-recorded their individual parts to best emulate the experience of hearing the Pleyel piano in Person Hall. Today’s salon concert features UNC’s 1843 Pleyel fortepiano, generously donated to the UNC Music Department by Mr. Thomas S. Kenan, III.  The Pleyel’s subtle color and delicate sounds made it a favorite of Frédéric Chopin, who famously said, “When I feel in good form and strong enough to find my own individual sound, then I need a Pleyel piano.” This instrument was perfect for Chopin’s quiet, contemplative style and has remained a sought-after way to experience the pieces that shaped the music of the mid-19th century. 

Our program begins with two Chopin études, which were written to develop technical skills in an imaginative and atmospheric way. As a lover of opera, Chopin used the coloristic possibilities of the Pleyel instrument to imitate the phrasing and sustain of opera singing, as well as of other instruments. Nicknamed the “Aeolian Harp” étude, Étude in A Flat Major, Op. 25 No. 1 features a whirl of notes ascending and descending underneath as if played on a harp. Meanwhile, the lower notes of Chopin’s Étude in C Sharp Minor, Op. 25 No. 7 are reminiscent of a cello solo, creating a beautiful melody.

The next three works on the program highlight different strengths of the Pleyel instrument.  Pauline Viardot’s Mazourke and Tarantelle for violin and piano both have the inimical feel of dance to them, as they showcase a more brilliant side of the Pleyel instrument. The Mazourke evokes Viardot’s friendship with Chopin, while the Tarantelle is a homage to Viardot’s piano studies with Liszt. With their fanciful licks and spins, showy runs, and dramatic crashing accents, you can feel the flourishes these pieces demand, the panache with which they want to be performed, and the rousing spirit they want to kindle. Nicanor Abelardo’s Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor, in contrast to the Viardot pieces, is a gentle piano piece that sounds like a sleepy town in the Philippines with twinkling lamps and crackling fire. The gentleness of this piece fits the Pleyel piano beautifully. 

Many 19th-century French composers aside from Chopin also used the Pleyel for its beautiful sound and timbral versatility. Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Swan from Carnival of the Animals is a majestic and bright piece akin to the Viardot pieces. While listening to this piece with its light and airy phrases, it’s easy to feel like you’re at the fair. Gabriel Fauré, a student of Saint-Saëns, composed Berceuse, Op. 16, which returns to a more subdued and dark tone that shares many similarities with Abelardo’s Nocturne. The emphasis Fauré puts on the dramatic crescendo and climax of the piece, as well as the throaty voice of the violin, add depth and richness to the Pleyel’s sound, giving it a wonderful new dimension.
 

The program closes with the last ballade Chopin wrote: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52.

This dramatic piece gradually increases in intensity, combining features of a waltz and barcarolle. From the quiet start of the piece to the explosion of sound at the end, this ballade shows the versatility of the Pleyel instrument.