Emeritus professor to perform final Beethoven Sonata at Cal Poly
Pianist and music professor emeritus W. Terrence Spiller.
W. Terrence Spiller’s eighth recital completes a cycle begun in 2016
– Pianist and music professor emeritus W. Terrence Spiller will give his final Beethoven sonata cycle recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 10, in the Pavilion of the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly.
Two large sonatas will bookend the program: the Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, Op. 7, and the “Waldstein” sonata, No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53. Between these titans will be two smaller works: the compact and joyous Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54, and the lyrical No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1.
Spiller’s first recital in the cycle was in 2016, and he’s performed one annually apart from 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2021 he gave a virtual performance of the fifth recital.
“Immersing myself in the Beethoven sonata cycle has been a joyous and moving process,” Spiller said. “My sense of wonder about the range and depth of Beethoven’s accomplishments still grows on a daily basis.”
Spiller stepped down from full-time teaching in the Music Department in March 2021 and fully retired from Cal Poly last spring.
Tickets are $20 for the public and $10 for students and are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call 805-SLO-4TIX (805-756-4849). Event parking is sponsored by the PAC.
The recital is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Music Department. For more information, call the music department at (805) 756-2406 or visit the department’s calendar website.
