It was an afternoon to remember. Sara Davis Buechner graced the Berkeley Piano Club stage, and mesmerized her audience with a moving tribute to Reah Sadowksky. (1915-2012)
She generously dedicated a solo recital “to the memory of one of America’s greatest pianists,” who was her friend and inspiration. (All proceeds will benefit the Club’s Dorothy Van Waynen Scholarship Fund and the Emerging Arists Fund)
“In 2008 Buechner commenced a personal friendship with Sadowsky, the last living pupil of Alberto Jonas, which resulted in the re-issue of Jonas’ The Master School of Piano Playing and Virtuosity by Dover Publications. It had been out of print for decades. Reah Sadowsky wrote a new preface for the re-issue and her tribute plus several personal photos grace the Dover edition.”
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Playing the piano works of Arensky, Stravinsky and Turina, as well as pieces by Brazilian composers Francisco Mignone and Fructuoso Vianna, from Reah Sadowsky’s repertoire, Buechner spun beautiful lines, interspersed with catchy Latin rhythmic motifs.
Her playing was lush, with a wide palette of emotions and color.
Not overlooking Mozart as the opener, Buechner produced an ethereal Adagio (Sonata in Eb, K. 282) that poured through her veins into a sound universe that resonated with impeccable beauty.
To add to her delicious serving of music, she wooed listeners with an engaging narrative about Sadowsky, interspersing reminiscences with earthy snippets of humor. These were recapitulations of Sara’s personal international adventures that wove in her friendships with composers, their families, and less than six degrees of separation relationships that are common to the insular cosmos of musicians.
Not to forget Buechner’s reference to Sadowksy’s 1947 recording (78 r.p.m.) that’s featured on You Tube as a testimony to Old World, seasoned artistry.
And there’s more:
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About Pianist, Sara Davis Buechner
She enjoys a “vibrant international performance and recording career. With an active repertoire of over 100 piano concertos ranging from Bach to Wuorinin, she has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s prominent orchestras…
“Praised on four continents as a musician of ‘intelligence, integrity, and all-encompassing technical prowess (New York Times)….she continues to receive performance accolades far and wide in the national and international media.
“Winner of a bouquet of prizes at the world’s greatest competitions, she is now a resident of Canada and Professor of Piano at the University of British Columbia School of Music.
“Profiles of Ms. Buechner have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Macleans,Paris Match, etc. Appearances on radio include profiles on NPR’s The Fishko File and Performances Today, WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Recital Series, WNYC’s New Sounds with John Schaefer and CBC’s Westcoast Performance and Richarson’s Roundup.
For more information about Sara Davis Buechner, visit her website:
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The Berkeley Piano Club that hosted Maestra Buechner, is percolating with love for music and all the arts. Gorgeous murals give relief to an ambiance of redwood, and rustic, terraced landscapes.
http://www.berkeleyplaques.org/index.php?page=berkeley-piano-club
