A Tale of Two Pianists: Simone Dinnerstein and Paul Barnes, both play Glass

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” Well, not really! It was actually the best of times on Sunday in Morrow and Decatur, Georgia, where two outstanding pianists gave two great performances with one thing in common: works by one of the most influential living, contemporary composers. Clayton State University’s Spivey Hall presented another renowned artist in its piano series: Simone Dinnerstein, who is a highly respected pianist known for her unique interpretations of the classical piano repertoire. She is said to convey a deep sense of emotion in her performances, but put in another way, she is said to use her expressiveness to make up for less-than-perfect execution. Ms. Dinnerstein addressed the audience prior to her performance. She explained that the pieces she was about to perform are structured as rondeaus, where there is a central “A” theme that returns after exploring contrasting “B” and “C” sections. She explained that humans seem to take comfort in repetition in life. She also said the various pieces would be played attaca, without break. She also offered that the pieces by Couperin would be played at the beginning of the program, as opposed to being separated as in the program booklet. For the complete review, go here: https://www.earrelevant.net/2023/11/a-tale-of-two-pianists-simone-dinnerstein-and-paul-barnes/ 

 Also a special shout out to Constantine Kokenes and Grigoris Karakostas, who, along with Mr. Barnes, were chanters during the North Decatur Presbyterian Church program.