February 26, 2010

Cellist Eric Lenz to present faculty recital March 4

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Eric Lenz, assistant professor of cello in the School of Music at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, will present a free musical performance on March 4.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall. Yuko Kato, assistant professor of piano, joins Lenz for the evening’s music.

Lenz said the piano and cello pieces in this program highlight the neoclassic musical era, in the early 20th century. Lenz will present selections from two of the major players in the neoclassic movement, Stravinsky and Poulenc.

Stravinsky based his “Suite Italienne” on his ballet “Pulcinella.” Stravinsky said the ballet helped him discover an earlier music, one that highlighted his later work. Poulenc’s “Suite française,” according to the Piano Society, “displays Poulenc’s inimitable blend of the archaic and anarchic.”

The program also includes selections from neoclassic composers Schumann and Marcello.

Faculty recitals at SIUC give music students a chance to see an extended performance from professors they encounter in the classroom, and give other members of the University and area communities a chance to hear a small sample of what the School of Music has to offer.