Magic was in the air on the night of Nov. 5 when the Princeton Pianist Ensemble (PPE) brought five concert grand Steinway pianos onto the Richardson Auditorium stage and enchanted the audience with their Fall 2024 show “Fantasia.”
The show featured pieces arranged by PPE members, ranging from the cinematic arrangement “Harry Potter” medley and more classical pieces like “La Campanella” by 19th century composer Franz Liszt.
With a full and buzzing crowd, the auditorium’s energy was a far cry from the formality or stuffiness one might expect of a piano performance. Shouts from performers’ friends cut through the audience’s hush each time performers took the stage. One group of attendees held up a large poster cutout of the face of one PPE member.
The sold-out show started dazzlingly. PPE opened with a “Carmen” medley. Donning black and red outfits adorned with roses in reference to the titular character’s costume in the original opera, five players swept the audience away in a piece brimming with energy and joy. They incorporated a tambourine throughout the opener. While it occasionally lost the beat compared to the intricate piano playing, the tambourine brought an extra playfulness to the medley.
The group then moved to the popular “Sound of Music” medley. Once again, the five pianists wore outfits related to the piece, with soft blues reminiscent of Maria’s most famous dress in the film. The piece encapsulated the grandeur and romanticism of the original soundtrack without any need for other instruments.
Next, another group of five pianists played “Western Scriptures” from “Journey to the West.” For extra flare, they included booming drums that complemented the piano and added a new texture to the sound. According to the program notes provided by PPE, the piece asks, and maybe even answers: “Whence do we come? What are we? Where are we going?” With an exciting and big sound from the drums, they succeeded in conveying the message musically.
Keeping the momentum going, PPE transitioned into a “Harry Potter” theme. In the grand and beautiful Richardson Auditorium, it felt as though the audience had been transported to Hogwarts. Unlike the other pieces, one of the members conducted for a brief moment, and the fluid movements of the baton looked like a wand performing a spell. This was a particularly striking and effective decision, as the group typically has no conductors.
The first act’s final piece was another crowd-pleaser, a “Mario Kart Wii” medley. Each piano had a small plushie of one of the iconic “Mario Kart” characters or items. The players incorporated snapping and a keyboard harmonica to emulate the feel of the video game.
After a brief intermission, PPE was back with a piece entitled “Boss Battle: Co-Presidents vs. Music Directors.” On one piano, PPE co-presidents Amanda Chan ’26 and Sofia Marina ’26 played while opposite them, music directors Kalu Obasi ’25 and Jeffrey Xu ’27 did the same. The music directors, who typically make decisions regarding music selection compared to presidents’ overarching management responsibilities were competing to be the reigning pianists of the group. At one point, Chan and Xu stood up to battle with plastic sticks.
The performance ended with two more classical pieces sandwiched around a tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto, a recently deceased Japanese composer. First was Franz Liszt’s “La Campanella” from “Grandes études de Paganini, S. 141.” With lots of crescendos and artful piano playing, the piece held the audience’s interest, despite being less familiar than some of the other songs. The commemorative medley included songs from the various movies he has soundtracked over the course of his life.
When the performers came out for bows, they played a quick encore, pushing each other out of the way to steal a piano and playing as fast as they could while other members danced behind. At the very end, they all slammed their hands on the keys, and the audience erupted in applause.
Princeton Pianist Ensemble brought a full auditorium of people to their own personal fantasia.
Lulu Pettit is a member of the Class of 2027 and a staff writer for The Prospect from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pa. She can be reached at lp3153@princeton.edu or her Instagram @itslulupettit.
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