Austin Peay State University Concert to capture whimsy and freedom of childhood March 12th

Clarksville, TN – One afternoon several years ago, the prominent Hungarian composer György Kurtág watched as a group of children banged away at a piano. They were playing with the instrument as if it were a toy, and Kurtág was struck by how much fun they seemed to have.

That observation inspired him to compose his solo piano pieces, “Játékok” (Games), which captures the playful freedom of childhood with its sometimes frenetic sounds. At 7:30pm on March 12th, Austin Peay State University professor of music Dr. Jeffrey Wood will present the little-heard piece in a concert filled with works all denoting childhood. [Read more]

Misunderstood genius of composer Schumann explored at upcoming APSU concert

Clarksville, TN – In the late winter of 1854, German composer Robert Schumann entered an insane asylum, which abruptly ended his creative career. He died two years later, and critics often cited his late works as being erratic and incomprehensible.

“People think he went mad, therefore there’s no value in his later music and that it’s full of mistakes or lack of creative inspiration,” Ming Wang, assistant professor of music at Austin Peay State University, said. “I had the same opinion toward Schumann when I was a student.”

But about five years ago, under the influence of his music professors at Yale, Wang began an intensive study of the composer. Within a few years, his opinion drastically changed. [Read more]