Peter Frankl has never performed in Utah, but he has a close personal connection to the Beehive State.
"One of my great friends was one of the great heroines of Salt Lake City," he said, referring to Gina Bachauer.
In a phone interview from his studio at Yale, where he is a visiting professor, the 70-year-old pianist said Bachauer was instrumental in launching his career in the United States. "Gina heard me play in London in the 1960s, and she wanted me to come to America."
That was the beginning of a close friendship that ended with Bachauer's death in 1976. "I became very good friends with her, and also with her husband, until she passed away," Frankl said.
Through Bachauer's influence, Frankl made his American recital debut in Dallas in 1965, and shortly thereafter, his orchestral debut with the Dallas Symphony, replacing Leon Fleisher. "That was at the time when (Fleisher) started to cancel his concerts because of his hand," Frankl said.
Now, 41 years after his American debut, the Hungarian-born pianist will finally be playing in the city that, 30 years after Bachauer's death, is still closely associated with her, thanks to the piano competition that bears her name. "I'm looking forward very much to coming and playing there," Frankl said.
For his recital Wednesday, Frankl has chosen a program that includes the music of fellow Hungarian Bela Bartok, as well as works by Mozart, Schubert and Schumann. "I play all sorts of Hungarian music, but I definitely wanted to play Bartok," he said.
Opening the second half of recital is Bartok's Suite, op. 14. "It's a wonderful piece that has a lot of rhythmic elements in it."
Frankl said he approaches Bartok's music differently than most pianists. "People are deceived by his music. They bring out his percussive element and miss what I think is important in his music."
Even in some of Bartok's harshest-sounding piano works, such as the "Allegro Barbaro," the percussive writing doesn't exist for its own sake, Frankl said. "There is an emotional background to it. If you approach it from its profound side, then his music can be a little easier to understand and appreciate."
Other works on the recital are Mozart's Fantasy in C minor, K. 475, and Schumann's "Carnaval," op. 9. And as much as Frankl loves Bartok's music, he admits that these two composers are his favorites.
He noted that 2006 is an anniversary year for both composers — the 250th of Mozart's birth and the 150th of Schumann's death. "But every year is an anniversary when I play their music."
Mozart and Schumann elicit different reactions from Frankl. "Whenever I play Mozart's music — especially his chamber music and concerti — it is like I am sitting on the top of the world," he said.
Schumann's music affects him more deeply. "He was such an emotional composer," Frankl said. "He is one of the composers who can put me in tears, so moving is his music and so rewarding it is to play."
Frankl has recorded all of Schumann's solo piano works, along with the A minor Concerto, the Konzertstuck and, with fellow Hungarian Andras Schiff, the pieces for four-hand piano and for two pianos. These recordings were made in the pre-CD era, and only a few have been re-issued on compact disc. "Even though the record company has decided it does not want to bring them out on CD, I am still very proud of that project," Frankl said.
Rounding out Wednesday's recital will be Schubert's large-scale Sonata in C minor, D. 958, one of the last works he wrote before his death in 1828.
"Schubert was very much influenced by Beethoven, but to appreciate his piano music you need to express the lyrical element of these works," Frankl said. "Schubert can be quite dramatic, but it is important to bring out the lyricism of his music."
If you go . . .
What: Peter Frankl, piano
Where: Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $25
Phone: 581-7100
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com