The room grew quiet for a moment when the lights dimmed, but applause quickly broke out as soon as he stepped onto the stage.
This was the ninth and final concert in a year-long journey through the Beethoven Piano Sonatas (all 32 of them) performed by Eastman faculty member Alexander Kobrin.
Since September, he's presented a program of 4-5 sonatas in consecutive order on the 1st of each month, all from memory.
We were about to hear his first attempted public performance of Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 (known as the Hammerklavier).