PULLMAN, Wash. – Faculty members Jeffrey and Karen Savage have been tapped by American composer Lowell Liebermann to record his complete works for two pianos this summer for a commercially released CD.
The Washington State University duo, which performs as 88SQUARED, (http://libarts.wsu.edu/music/areainfo/keyboard/88-2.htm) recently completed a concert tour in Singapore, presenting the Asian premieres of several works, including Liebermann’s “Sonata for Two Pianos.”
“The finale was a double fugue on a perpetual motion theme that seemed almost impossible to play,” wrote Singapore’s national daily newspaper in a review. “In these secure hands, impossibility became not just reality, but totally pleasing music.”
The concert was part of a visiting artist series at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of the University of Singapore. The married WSU professors also presented a master class for Yong Siew Toh piano majors.
Karen Savage was awarded a WSU New Faculty Seed Grant to fund these projects and to allow the duo to coach with distinguished piano faculty at The Juilliard School, Northwestern University, the Eastman School and Oberlin.
The Liebermann (http://www.lowellliebermann.com) sonata was commissioned through grants from Artist Trust, the National Federation of Music Clubs, Washington State Music Teachers Association and WSU.
The Liebermann recording will be made at WSU’s state-of-the-art recording studio using the School of Music’s two Fazioli grand pianos.