Thanks to Dr. Richard Graves,

clinical professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine, the music

department at Sacramento State is welcoming a new piece into its

collection: a Bösendorfer Grand Piano, c. 1881.

Originally purchased in 2000 from an

El Dorado Hills couple who wanted to make room for a couch in their

master suite, the piece has been completely restored by musical

instrument conservation specialist Robert Portillo.

“I donate to the piano series here

at Sac State because I think it is very important to have a

cultural venue where we bring in professional pianists for everyone

to hear,” Graves said.

In celebration of the generous

donation, piano professor Lorna Peters hosted a recital in Graves’

honor on the evening of April 27. The program included performances

by three Sac State students and a presentation by Portillo

himself.

“This is a wonderful experience for

our students, faculty, and guest artists to have a chance to play

on this piano – a piece worthy of being in a museum,” Peters said.

“Playing gives us a feel as to feel what it must have been like to

play these beautiful pieces during that time.”

Wanting to re-create a scene from

the origin of the piano’s creation, Peters themed the stage to look

like an 1880’s sitting room in Vienna. With candles and plants, the

room catered to the time period of the Bösendorfer piano.

“I just wanted to share the beauty,”

Peters said. “Not only can the audience enjoy the music from that

era, but see what it would have looked like as well.”

The third student performer,

graduate student Samantha Arrasmith, said she was honored to play

at the event.

Since the piano is constructed

differently than the modern piano, Arrasmith said the Bösendorfer

sounds and feels different.

“You feel every action and click of

the piano. It is not as effortless as the modern ones they have

today,” Arrasmith said. “Almost as how you compare a typewriter to

a modern computer, the two are pretty different.”

Peters said having the Bösendorfer

to play the classic compositions strengthens both the sound and

performances.

“If you’re playing a piano of

exactly the same time of that period with that special type of

feeling under your fingers, then that’s going to feel and tell you

something on how to play the music,” Peters said.

Playing pieces from Franz Schubert,

Johannes Brahms and Robert Schuman, the students really set the

tone of the 19th century.

“I think it’s perfect how the music

is themed around the specific time frame,” Graves said. “This would

have been the kind of piano composers would have been writing music

for during that time.”

Having played the piano and taken

lessons from Peters himself, Graves said he appreciates having live

piano series performances on campus.

“Live music changes you in a way

that a CD or mp3 player doesn’t,” Graves said. “The pianists are

interacting with the audience – it is just a much more intimate and

powerful experience.”

Even though Graves is not a Sac

State alumnus, just being a member of the community is reason

enough for him to support the campus.

“He is a real music lover and has

been an amazing supporter of the music department and the piano

series all along,” Peters said. “Rick is just passionate about

making sure out department has the best of the best.”