HIGHLY-REGARDED PIANIST DEREK WANG PERFORMS IN THE KEYS

The Monroe County Tourist Development Council has funding available to governmental entities and non-profit organizations for capital projects.

The project/facility must have the primary purpose of promoting tourism and must fall into one of the following categories:

Convention Center, Sports Stadium, Sports Arena, Coliseum, Auditorium, Aquarium, Museum, Zoological Park, Nature Center, Fishing Pier, Beach or Beach Park Facility, Channel, Estuary, or Lagoon, Public Facilities in Accordance with Conditions set forth in the Florida Statutes.

The deadline for receipt of applications is April 18, 2023 , and applications must be downloaded from Demandstar (www.monroecounty-fl.gov/bids).

For more information, please call the TDC Administrative Office at: 305-296-1552, and ask to speak with Ammie or Maxine.

ASTA KRASKOUSKAS www.keysweekly.com

Florida Keys Concert Association’s guest was piano soloist Derek Wang during performances on Feb. 13 at Marathon High School and Feb. 14 at Coral Shores High School.

Seen and Heard International describes Wang’s performance as “consummate virtuosity ... moments of almost unbearable simplicity in the slow movements ... pure poetry.”

Wang, whose parents listened to classical music constantly, started to show interest in his piano at age 5.

In 2020, Wang partnered to launch American Stories, a podcast series that examines and celebrates American identity through music in performance, illuminated by personal histories.

Through the concert, Wang engaged with the audience, explaining every piece he played.

Wang’s concert could be described as a poetic music experience of two worlds. The first half of the concert was a celebration of music, of our inner desire, of a fantasy. He played “Fantasia” (Capriccio) in C major of F. J. Haydn, “7 Fantasias” of J. Brahms, and “Valse” from Gounod’s Faust of Franz.

The third piece kept the audience in silence and awe. It was almost like everyone was present at the scene when Faust falls in love with the beautiful peasant girl Marguerite, while the devil whispers in Faust’s ears to give away his soul to gain the freedom of youth and knowledge.

After the first half of the concert,

Cynthia Finamore, a season ticket holder, said, “(I) loved the past piece (Valse from Faust). (Wang is) skilled at the piano. Gives a real idea how to understand the music. He understands (it) so deeply. When we listen, we never think that way. Excellent interpretation. Makes music more meaningful”.

The second half dealt with commemoration and transcendence, with everyone’s shared experience of the last two years of the pandemic and the losses we all have experienced.

Wang played Piano Sonata No. 2, by F. Chopin, Nocturne No. 13 by G. Faure, and Piano Concerto No. 1, Totentanz (Dance of the Dead) by F. Liszt.

The third movement of the Piano Sonata No. 2 was the well-known “Funeral March.” As the pianist explained, “Music speaks eloquently. Chopin invited us to a very vulnerable place. The sense of loss. Everyone has a different personal relationship to the experience of loss. The music leaves us room for everyone to experience it. All the arts explore transcendence. Don’t think (that this piece is) just dark music. (The movement has) hope for the living”.

The last piece of the Dance of the Dead refers to a long tradition in the visual arts. Death, personified as a skeleton, comes for all, from the greatest to the lowest.

Cynthia Arsenault, a season ticket holder of many years, said, “Derek orients us, gives us a context to understand music better, and does it in an entertaining way. Very experiential. It (the concert) is a treat.”