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KEARNEY - Violinist Ting-Lan Chen wanted to try something different.

"We did all of the Beethoven last year," Chen said of her performances with her husband and musical partner, Nathan Buckner. "We all know that music is so well-constructed. It's the standard of chamber music. Beethoven's chamber music is so 'heavy' in some ways."

Halfway through the project, Chen decided she needed to try something different, "so I wouldn't scare my audience."

The assistant professor of music and performing arts at the University of Nebraska at Kearney decided to seek musical pieces of a smaller scale.

Chen and Buckner will present a concert of nationalistic music at 7:30 p.m. today at the Fine Arts Recital Hall in the Fine Arts Building at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The performance is part of the 10th anniversary season of the Concerts-on-the-Platte series.

Featured composers include Edvard Grieg, Manuel de Falla, Bedrich Smetana and William Kroll.

"These composers try to present a national flavor," Chen said. "They like to use folk elements, especially dance. All four of these composers have this dance element."

The composers' nationalities are Norwegian, Spanish, Czechoslovakian and American.

Chen was not very familiar with the work of Kroll (1901-1980), an American composer.

"He became famous because of this specific piece," she said of the work, "Banjo and Fiddle" published in 1945. "He was a violinist himself. He studied at Juilliard [School of Music]."

Chen sees this concert like a tray of delicious desserts.

"I like the idea that all of these pieces have different flavors," she said. "If I play Beethoven, it's the same concept - very substantial. This concert is like a dessert sampler. You can taste music from different regions."

Nationalistic music, Chen noted, often arises from political situations.

"There might be wars going on at the time," she said. "The composers are against this dominating force, and they wish to provoke a nationalistic identity. This can be a patriotic thing for the citizens."

e-mail to:

rick.brown@kearneyhub.com

WHEN & WHERE:

Ting-Lan Chen, violin, and Nathan Buckner, piano, in concert at 7:30 p.m. today at the Fine Arts Recital Hall on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus. Admission is free. The concert features "From My Country" by Bedrich Smetana, Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 45 by Edvard Grieg, "Suite Populaire Espagnole" by Manuel de Falla and "Banjo and Fiddle" by William Kroll.

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