While Timothy Fain will make his Salt Lake City debut Thursday, this won't be his first time playing in Utah.
"Last year I played at the governor's mansion, and I've been coming to the Moab Music Festival for seven or eight years now," he said in a phone interview from New York City.
And every time he's been here, he's enjoyed the experience. "I'm always excited to come to Utah, and I'm so looking forward to being back in Salt Lake City."
Fain will make his official local debut in a recital in Libby Gardner Concert Hall to close out this season's Virtuoso Series. And what makes it more special for Fain is that University of Utah faculty pianist Heather Conner will accompany him.
The two have known each other for years, ever since they met as students at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. And they've managed to maintain their friendship. "We know each other quite well," Fain said. "We see each other from time to time whenever Heather comes to New York, and we've been rehearsing the program off and on for a while here."
The program that Fain has chosen to play Thursday doesn't consist of what one would think of as a typical recital program. While it does contain a sonata and a couple of larger works, they're pieces that aren't played with any frequency at recitals, and they span a wide range of musical styles and character. "I like variety," Fain explained.
One of the major works on the program is Edvard Grieg's Sonata No. 3 in C minor. "This is the most popular and the most played of the three violin sonatas he wrote, although it's not heard all that often," Fain said.
Ever since he was a child growing up in Santa Monica, Calif., Fain loved Grieg's music. In fact, he was obsessed with Grieg's Piano Concerto. "I started on the piano, and the one thing I wanted to do was play the concerto." But his teacher insisted he wasn't ready for it. "He kept saying I was going to hurt myself if I continued playing it." Fain didn't damage his fingers, of course, but he never did play the concerto in its entirety, either.
Fain played both the piano and violin until he was a teenager. "When I was about 13 or 14, I discovered that the violin was the natural instrument for me," he said. "I felt closest to it, instead of the piano." And although he loves the piano, he has never regretted his decision.
Classical music is Fain's first love, but that hasn't dampened his interest in jazz. "I love playing jazz from time to time," he said. "I love the freedom of jazz, and everything about its performance style. It has an approachable quality that I bring to my classical performances."
The freedom of expression and the immediacy of how a performer communicates with an audience are attractive, Fain said. "It's something that I love in jazz club settings, and it's something that can be lacking in classical concerts."
Nevertheless, Fain loves what he does. And he loves the violin he's playing. "It's a Francesco Gobetti from 1717, which is on loan to me and which I've been playing for a little under a year." The violin is in private possession, and the loan was arranged through the Stradivarius Society of Chicago.
Playing a rare instrument is a fantastic experience, Fain said. "It's amazing. You feel like you can get better and better and get close to achieving the perfect sound."
Besides the Grieg sonata, Fain will also play Antonin Dvorak's Romance in F minor, op. 11; Ernest Chausson's "Poeme"; Maurice Ravel's "Tzigane"; and a recent piece, Kevin Puts' "Arches," for solo violin.
If you go . . .
What: Timothy Fain, violin; Heather Conner, piano
Where: Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah
When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $25 adult, $10 students (all reserved seating)
Phone: 581-7100
Web:www.kingtix.com
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com /I>