Bachauer Piano Month, designated as such by Gov. Norm Bangerter, gets under way this week with the first in a series of concerts and workshops to be held at Temple Square and Promised Valley Playhouse, respectively.
David Buechner, grand-prize winner of the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, will lead off the Temple Square performances with a solo recital Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m., in the Assembly Hall. His program will consist of Haydn's Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI:52; Dvorak's Theme with Variations in A flat major; Poulenc's "Three Novelettes" and a trio of Gershwin improvisations.Admission is free, no tickets required, but limited to those 8 and older. (There also will be a free post-concert reception at the Dolores Chase Gallery, 1431/2 W. Pierpont Ave.)
He will be followed on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., also in the Assembly Hall, by the 1982 Bachauer winner, Michael Gurt, in an array of Chopin (including the B flat minor Scherzo), Scarlatti, Albeniz, Granados ("The Maid and the Nightingale") and Chabrier's "Espana."
Friday 1986's grand-prize winner, Alec Chien, will be heard in more Chopin (the Barcarolle and F minor Fantasy etc.) and Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition. Saturday the soloist will be 1978's third-place winner, Steven Mayer, in an unusual pairing of Art Tatum and Liszt, including the latter's transcription of the Weber "Konzertstueck."
Other Assembly Hall recitals, all beginning at 7:30 p.m., will feature Welsh pianist Martin Jones (June 5), Nelita True of the 1988 Bachauer jury (June 6), Israel's Arie Vardi (June 7), Colombian pianist Blanca Uribe (June 8), Norway's Einer Steen-Nokleberg (June 9), 1988 jury member Joseph Banowetz (June 10), 1978 Bachauer winner Arthur Greene (June 11) and 1980's winner, Duane Hulbert (June 12).
Begining June 1, a variety of noontime and other afternoon recitals will be presented at various locations around town.
In addition daytime workshops and master classes will be conducted June 1-11 at PVP, beginning with sessions on memorization and improvisation Wednesday with Ruth Schonthal of New York University. Buechner will direct a lecture and master class Thursday, as will Gurt on Friday.
"Liberating the Body to Liberate the Artist Within" is the title of a workshop Saturday with Carola Grindea of London's Guildhall School of Music. Further sessions will feature Jones (June 6), True (June 7), Vardi (June 8), 1988 Bachuaer jury member Yip Wai-hong (June 9), Steen-Nokleberg (June 10) and Banowetz (June 11).
All begin at 10 a.m. and are scheduled for three hours. Admission is $10 per day or $50 for the series.
The competition proper will take place June 14-25 in Symphony
Hall, preceded by an opening ceremony/monster concert, feturing 16 pianists on eight keyboards, June 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the hall. As with the Temple Square recitals, this is also open to the public free of charge.
Sixty-three competitors, drawn from 19 countries, are scheduled to take part this year. They will compete for prizes valued at over $100,000, including $20,000 in cash, a New York debut recital, a Baldwin grand piano and more than 50 performing engangements in the United States, Europe and the Far East.
Tickets for the preliminary, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the competition are $3, $4 and $5 respectively, two-evening passes to the finals ranging in price from $20 to $30. Tickets for the entire competition are $50.
For information contact the Bachauer office at 521-9200.