CENTERblog

The Audience Whisperer

by Lisa Maloney - Center Facebook Fan

Pianist Alpin Hong’s Friday night playing wasn’t perfect -- but his performance was. Make no mistake about it: Although Hong has a clean, light touch on the keys that draws a legitimate crowd, he is a performer using the piano as a tool to reach your soul, not a pianist that takes a stab at performing. The result is a multi-note performance that engages each audience member on a number of levels.

Comparisons to Victor Borge are inevitable, and apt. Hong’s whimsical monologues are just the thinnest whisker off from stand-up timing, laced with honesty and edged with a frisson of joy and humor that can’t be faked. But they’re also unmistakably him -- too sincere and personal to be a photocopy of any other piano-wielding funny man.

As Hong points out, then punctuates with a hilarious story about Halloween, even a tiny bit of music can change your mood. And he’s obviously on a mission to prove that. Thoroughly comfortable carrying your attention by himself for the better part of two hours, using nothing but a piano and a microphone, he hits you repeatedly with the one-two shot of humor and skillful playing. Half the time you only see him in profile, poised over the keys. And yet nobody looks away.

Although Hong’s playing isn’t always technically flawless, he taps into the same mysterious source that great composers use to bring music forth. You can almost see him passing an invisible baton back and forth with the soul of the music, working the crowd over as equal partners, tag-team style. Once the song is over, Hong remains still until the vibrations fade away or he deliberately cuts them off, setting the audience free to applaud.

He then leaps up from the piano bench, ready to celebrate the shared experience. One expects to see him pump his fist in joy and triumph, and suspects that he’s doing exactly that on the inside. Whatever the source of Hong's exuberance, he’s ready to share it: In a surprise addition to his program, Hong brought 14-year-old local singer Grace Robuck on stage and accompanied her through two songs, giving her a chance to showcase a sweet voice far beyond her years. This highlights the gracious sense of inclusion that underscores Hong's entire performance: He's there to play with you, not at you.

Alpin Hong

Anchorage Concert Association

Friday, November 12, 2010 at 7:30pm

Discovery Theatre