Lauren Saner / Winonan
Last Tuesday, Winona State University’s piano professor Deanne Mohr was accidentally locked out of the Performing Arts Center’s Recital Hall prior to her recital. When the doors were unlocked for her, she was greeted with a roaring applause from the audience.
“I didn’t even have to do anything yet,” was her initial response to this encouragement.
Mohr began her recital with descriptions of her pieces. She began with “Vingt regards de l’Enfant-Jésus,” which directly translates to “The First Communion of the Virgin” by Olivier Messiaen. This piece is a meditation on the Virgin Mary’s expectancy of baby Jesus.
“I enjoyed the first piece because it was so out there and reflective and mysterious,” sophomore Kristen Salinas said after the concert.
Her second piece was “Drei Intermezzi, op. 117” by Johannes Brahms. Mohr described the piece as meditative like the Messiaen, but more lyrical and understated. The first movement is based on a lullaby, containing the lyrics, “Sleep well my child, well and deep, it breaks my heart to see you weep.” Mohr’s final piece was Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Sonata in A major, op. 101.”
“I really liked the Beethoven because it was happier and prettier,” sophomore Makenna Stackhouse said regarding the performance.
Mohr stated how Beethoven had started to lose his hearing and had become depressed like Brahms near the end of his career, and it was rare to find such a cheerful piece at this time of Beethoven’s life.
“This piece is the most hopeful of his late pieces,” she said.
In her pre-concert descriptions, she also stated how these were very personal pieces, both to herself and the composers.
“In the composers’ output, these are particularly personal pieces, religiously, emotionally and as a means of expressions for these composers. I connect personally on a sonic level as well as a mystical level with Messiaen, but Beethoven feels most natural to me,” Mohr said.
Some Winona State students also connected with these pieces.
“I also enjoyed the Messiaen because of the experimental and forward thinking harmonies and awesome and weird sonorities,” junior Ryan Howe said.
Most recitals and concerts at Winona State usually only have members of the music department and family and friends in attendance, but this recital brought in many members from the community, as well as professors and faculty members from other departments on campus.
“In a performance, you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes we get a concert that is empty. But I was pleasantly surprised. For me is doesn’t matter if there are three people or 300 people it sort of feels the same and is as worthwhile…and it was really nice,” Mohr said.
