An Unfinished Story
Mi Wang, piano
Thursday, November 13, 2025 | 8 p.m.
A.F. Siebert Chapel
Kenosha, WI
French Suite No. 2 in C minor
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Menuet No. 1
Fantasie in D minor K. 397
Valse in A flat minor Op. 69 No. 1
Kinderszenen Op. 15
Von Fremden Ländern und Menschen
Wichtige Begebenheit
Träumerei
La fille aux cheveux de lin in G Flat Major
In Fulfillment of Master in Pedagogy.
J.S. Bach (1685–1750)
W.A. Mozart (1756–1791)
F. Chopin (1810–1849)
R. Schumann (1810–1856)
C. Debussy(1862–1918)
J.S. Bach: French Suite No. 2 in C minor
Bach’s French Suites are miniature worlds built from dances. The Second Suite includes Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Minuet. Though rooted in courtly dance, Bach transforms them into refined art, rich in counterpoint and expressive depth. Each dance has its own character—sometimes elegant, sometimes solemn, sometimes lively—like a series of musical paintings forming a graceful whole.
Mozart: Fantasie in D minor, K. 397
Mozart’s Fantasie in D minor feels like an intimate improvisation, a direct outpouring from the keyboard. It begins dark and mysterious, shifts into lyrical, song-like passages, and wanders between contrasting moods. The final measures were added by a student, yet the work retains its unity and beauty.
Chopin: Valse in A flat minor, Op. 69 No. 1
Often called the “Parting Waltz,” this piece carries a gentle wistfulness. Rather than dazzling virtuosity, it feels like a lyrical poem in waltz rhythm—elegant, flowing, yet tinged with sighs of farewell. Chopin wrote it in his twenties, and its graceful lines are infused with youthful sensitivity. The music seems to preserve the memory of a quiet goodbye within its graceful steps.
Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Schumann’s Kinderszenen (“Scenes from Childhood”) is a musical diary of remembered innocence. He once said these were not written for children, but for the child that lives within every adult. The selections tonight—Of Foreign Lands and Peoples, Important Event, and the famous Träumerei—offer curiosity, drama, and tender reflection. Träumerei, with its simple, touching melody, has become one of the most beloved pieces in Romantic piano music.
Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin in G flat Major
Inspired by a French poem, Debussy’s “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair” paints a serene portrait of innocence and beauty. With its gentle flowing melody and luminous harmonies, the music feels like sunlight over a quiet field. There is no virtuoso display here—only simplicity, grace, and impressionistic color, like a delicate poem without words.