By:Susan Lin
In the midst of our national crisis, many people might find the idea of entertainment or having a good night out disagreeable.
After consideration, though, classical pianist Molly Vivian Huang of Garden City has decided to go ahead as scheduled with her solo concert on Tues., Oct. 2, at the Monroe Lecture Center Theatre at Hofstra University.
"For a while everything seemed so trivial after the tragedy. But after a few reflections, I have come to terms that this concert is to celebrate life," said Huang, who is in her late 40's. And perhaps music is even what folks need right now.
Tuesday's 90-minute concert, broken by a 10-minute intermission, will feature a variety of works including four sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), and selections by Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) and Franz Schubert (1797-1828).
The evening's selections haven't changed following the World Trade Center attacks; Huang set the repertoire several months ago. But, the pianist said, the pieces encompass a wide range of human emotion -- some happy and lively, others slower and more expressive - such that they reflect the range of feelings people have at any time, including now.
Huang said that while practicing for the program, she's "drawn a lot of peace from the Shubert sonata," a long four-movement piece that occupies the entire second half of the concert.
Playing the sonata "is like a soul search. If I have disturbing emotions when I play the music, it gets drowned in the music and I get a clearer perspective," said Huang. She hopes that others will discover their own vision from the Shubert piece.
A classically trained pianist, Huang's credentials include a diploma in 1977 from the Cologne Conservatory in Germany, which she attended on a full scholarship after high school. Then she moved to the U.S. to complete a degree in 1980 at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
Since then, Huang has performed with numerous orchestras in the U.S., Europe and the Far East. She was a soloist in the Neues Orchester Basel, the China Central Philharmonic in Beijing, the Cultural Center of the Philippines Orchestra, the Metro-Manila Orchestra, and the COS Young Symphonic Ensemble of New York.
Huang, of Chinese descent, was born and lived until her late teens in Manila, the Philippines. She then moved successively to Cologne, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and finally to Garden City, where she has lived since 1987.
"The neighbors don't complain," said Huang, who practices on a Baldwin grand piano in her house.
"In fact, that's the reason I moved to Long Island. When I lived in Manhattan I had to stuff around the sounding boards with newspapers because the neighbor downstairs was giving me problems," she added.
And also like anybody else, Huang has to pay bills. For additional income, Huang offers piano lessons to masters and beginners alike "as long as they're serious," she said.
What makes Huang [ital]unlike[end ital] most, though, is her talent, as well as her vision of the role she plays in society. "My goal as a performer is not simply to play beautifully and have success. I hope that I might give others who are listening a new sense of life or an opening of horizons. Then it will all be worth while," Huang said.
At a Glance
Molly Vivian Huang
8 p.m. Tues., Oct. 2
Monroe Lecture Center Theatre
Hofstra University
California Avenue, South Campus
(516) 463-5669
$15; $12 seniors/students
