Last Friday in Hatfield Hall, the latest event in the Performing Arts Series took place. Featuring classical pianist Edward Auer, the auditorium was nearly packed full, and those who attended did not leave disappointed. Auer, of international fame, has performed all over the world, while also serving on the piano faculty at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Additionally, he has won numerous awards and has recorded several classical pieces.

Auer began by playing a delightful impromptu by Schubert, which was then followed by a classical Beethoven sonata. He followed these with a barrage of Chopin preludes-his specialty. The collection of pieces, mostly from the romantic period, was a mixture of slow, fast, light, lively, and heavy/dense, and this variety enabled Auer to really show off his versatility. As with all experienced piano players, Auer showed an impressively nimble and fluid control of his fingers; at times his fingers moved so quickly that they became a blur. Additionally, he showed no lapses of concentration or signs of fatigue, a must-have for performers.

However, it was Auer’s control over tempo and dynamics that really displayed his skill. The musician had no trouble transitioning between tempos, as he switched speeds at will without a drop in tone or quality. The same could have been said about his control over dynamics; he was in such control that it seemed like he could just flip a switch and ‘turn up the volume’. These were the truest indications of his mastery of the keyboard-the collective difficulty of his pieces were not terrific, but the way in which he delivered them was truly a sight to behold.

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