Last Thursday night, famed pianist and pedagogue Russell Sherman gave an innovative performance, concluding with not one but three encores. After striding across the stage, Sherman sat grandly in front of Oberlin’s prized Hamburg Steinway and began the program with Beethoven Sonata, Op. 7.

Immediately establishing his high-level of artistry, Sherman took the audience on a colorful ride. The structured feel of Beethoven was immediately melted down by the smoothness of Debussy, which was ultimately shaply contrasted with Bartók’s risky dissonances and jarring accents.

The second half of the program featured an all-Liszt program, which is a bold move for any pianist. Displaying a clearly unique interpretation, Sherman’s Reminiscences of Don Juan was full of unexpected twists. It was his performance of Soiree de Vienne, however, that was particularly impressive, transforming the bland atmosphere of Warner Concert Hall with vintage European elegance.

After decades as a concert pianist, Sherman has developed a number of eccentricities in his performance; peculiar hand motions have become his trademark. Even when speaking, he unfurls great, knobby hands, waving them extravagantly through the air for emphasis.

In the few days following the concert, Sherman gave several master classes for Oberlin Conservatory pianists. He opened the first class by reading an excerpt from an Italian author, which emphasized the importance of the cultural awareness in intensive musical training.

Sherman’s teaching style encourages musicians to realize the similarities between different works and to draw connections between the musical and the non-musical, like personal experiences or paintings. He seemed to be pleased with many of the students’ performances in the master classes, and offered many insightful thoughts along with his criticisms and compliments. In a soft, deep voice, Sherman said to one student, “In everything beautiful, there must be something strange.”

Such abstract thought seems to be a distinct part of Sherman’s curious personality. In illustrating points of inspiration for musicians, he digresses quite easily and weaves different stories together before coming to a conclusion.

After Anastasia Dedik rattled off Liszt’s technically daunting Mephisto Waltz, Sherman congratulated her on the performance, and said, “There is something in the sound that is the groaning of the devil,” indicating for a darker sound production.

Junior Jacob Ertl’s performance of the third movement of Chopin’s Sonata in B minor prompted Sherman to lecture about the difficulties that are hidden in Chopin’s music, saying “Other composers may write scores that offer a uniform character, whereas in Chopin, if you have “five fingers, [you have] five personalities.”

Sherman offered new insights for Oberlin pianists, with specificity that is often lost in master class settings. His musical eccentricity inspired students to chew on new and innovative ideas. He spoke highly of reading great literature, analyzing great art, and interacting with great people, all reflective of his own detailed studies.