Pianist performs at Hood

By Alex Peters

Prize winning pianist Viktor Valkov performed in Brodbeck Music Hall on March 24 at the annual Homer Carhart Guest Pianist Recital. Valkov was generous enough to play the free concert for the Hood College community.

He is the winner of the 2012 New Orleans International Piano Competition. Valkov has also been praised for being highly acclaimed by critics as “Lion of the Keyboard,” and “sensational.” Valkov has played a number of recitals in the USA, Japan, Germany, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Macedonia.

The performance lasted about one hour and 45 minutes. The audience applauded louder each time Valkov finished one of the seven pieces of music he performed that night

Valkov started off with Sonata in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven. This piece set the tone for the performance, which was comprised entirely of classical pieces each from a different composer.

“ViKtor Valkov was remarkable,” said Fitzgerald. “I became in awe of the way he could put so much emotion behind simply playing the piano. Every motion he had was made for a purpose.”

In the audience there were about 80 to 100 people. There were family members of Dr. Carhat, families enjoying the concert, and Hood students, faculty and staff.

The one thing that was different about Valkov than other performers was his posture. This goes into the emotion he played with. But his posture was never still; he was always moving which made the performance different.

“Viktor Valkov is a prize winning pianist,” Lester said. “He is an excellent performer to showcase the 15^th annual Homer Carhart Guest Pianist Recital.”

Valkov did not say anything about the pieces of music he chose to perform. Each piece of music he performed were at least 50 years old, with the oldest piece being from the 1600s.

“I felt as if the room was too small,” Gall said “since he was playing pieces of such magnitude the room should have been bigger in my opinion.”

The Homer Carhart Piano Recitals at Hood College are made possible through a generous gift from the late Dr. Homer Carhart, a longtime friend of Hood College.

Upcoming concerts include Hood College Choir in Concert, featuring Mozart’s “Requiem,” which takes place on Sunday, April 12 at 3 p.m. in Brodbeck Music Hall, as well as the String and Wind Ensembles Spring Concert on Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Coffman Chapel.