Ursula Oppens shows why she's a champion of American piano music

It is probably safe to say that no single performer has done more for the cause of American piano music than Ursula Oppens. Almost 40 years ago to the day, Oppens walked onstage at the Kennedy Center to play the world premiere of "The People United Will Never Be Defeated!," a piece she commissioned from American composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski. I wasn't there on that occasion, but I was in the audience when Oppens played the work for the first time in New York. I came away convinced that I...