Ken Turner

Writer, pianist, pundit

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Opera Singers at Central Park West

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Robin Shoemaker hosting on 1-19-2018

An Evening of Opera Scenes

On Friday January 19th the International Masters Academy of Opera (IAMO) presented An Evening of Opera Scenes at the Shoemaker residence on Central Park West.

The program ranged from Bizet to Verdi, with an Italian weighting and a splash of Bernstein. Over the course of two hours, a variety of mostly younger opera singers performed for an audience of about 25.

Listeners in the front row were just an arm’s length from the performer(s). Those seated further back were still closer than the front row of most major venues. This intimate setting gave us a rich connection to the singers. It allowed us to savor the fine detail of each performance, such as Alan Glassman‘s heart-rending facial expressions in Otello (Verdi), and to feel personally how hard the singers were working.

Effort and Power

Richard Barrett introduced each artist and their repertoire. He advised us that opera singers are trained to perform without a microphone, explaining the astonishing power of these artists and why so much physical effort can be involved. I’m remembering primarily Ashley Bell in this regard. You don’t fully grasp such things in a large auditorium, but when you are close to a performer of such enormous power the experience becomes all-encompassing.

Other Highlights

We appreciated the passionate delivery of Greek soprano Elisabeth Papageorgiou, the fine control of Chinese mezzo-soprano Hongyao Wang, and the spirited duet of soprano Marnie Baylouny and mezzo-soprano Claudia Yanez (Rossini’s Duetto buffo di due gatti – the “meow” duet). Corynn Springer (mezzo-soprano) and Damian Faul (baritone) deserve a special New York shout out for their adorably romantic duets from West Side Story.

We also enjoyed Siberian mezzo-soprano Polina Egudina, Korean soprano Rosa Chang, tenor Vikram Bal, and the youngest singer Carson Cook (baritone) who coped admirably with this intense venue. Last but not least, we thank accompanists Violetta Zabbi and Eric Malson (piano), Andy Lin (viola) and our gracious host for making it all possible.

Supporting the Arts

The evening closed with a brief address from Allan Glassman. Allan noted that career opportunities for young singers are harder to find now than in the past, and observed that especially at this time in America, the Arts need our support.

Opera Singers at Central Park West

Opera singers and accompanists at Central Park West 1-19-2018

 

 

 

2018 Site Reset and Recital Reviews

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Ken Turner at Carnegie Hall

The Author outside Carnegie Hall

Site History

I had a lot of fun blogging about current affairs when I started kenturner.net in 2012. But everything changed when I took up learning the piano in July 2014 at the age of 63.

Piano Recital Reviews

Over time, my site drifted to contain mostly piano recital reviews. But it is devilishly hard to write a personalized recital review and publish it in a timely fashion, particularly if you already have a full-time job. Writing reviews started to feel too much like work, and unfortunately I did not review of some best concerts of 2017.

Seon-Jin Cho

I most regret not reviewing Seon-Jin Cho‘s February 2017 Carnegie recital. I recall how skinny the pianist was, how restrained the first half of the recital seemed, and how he came wildly alive after the intermission. And I remember endless shrieks of delight from younger female members of the audience as the pianist stuck jagged poses for Chopin, eclipsing even Lang Lang at his most showy.

Site Reset

My reviews are a personal record of recitals I have attended, but they are a sideline. Now retired, I have time to blog about my primary interest: discovering the piano as an older adult. I started learning piano 55 years too late (by some accounts), but the experience has been life-changing.

This week I start work on the new face of kenturner.net. No content will be deleted, but links to existing posts may change. I hope to use URL redirects to minimize breakage in review links, but that’s just a theory at this point.

Pianist Han Chen at Central Park West

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Robin Shoemaker with Han Chen, May 20th 2017

At the May 20th 2017 concert at the Shoemaker salon on Central Park West, Han Chen played romantic era works by Scriabin, Schubert and Liszt.  He also played the hybrid Bach-Busoni Chaconne. What a swoon-fest!

Bach-Busoni: Chaconne in D minor

Ferrucio Busoni’s arrangement of Bach’s ethereal Violin Partita No. 2 applies romantic piano technique to baroque underpinnings. Han Chen’s signature touch was to reign in Bach’s crescendos to a precise but somber procession of thunderclaps, and then cut loose to a hectic race into the high arpeggios.

The acoustics of the Shoemaker salon were perfect for this work, enriching and damping the dominant bass. And yet, there was a detached, clinical feel to Mr. Chen’s rubato that left me wanting less cultivated drama and more instinctive passion.

Scriabin: Fantasy, Op. 28

The Scriabin Fantasy in B minor Op. 28  is a sweeping, sonorous work. I enjoyed the oceanic feel delivered by Han Chen, and was struck by his ability to bring out the color in Scriabin’s complex harmonies.

Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy, Op. 15, D. 760

In the Schubert, as with the Scriabin, Han Chen again demonstrated nuanced partial-pedal coloring. At times his right hand seemed like a passel of faeries dancing tiptoe across the upper registers. At other times his Schubert sounded Schubertianly (sic) ponderous. This is somewhat the nature of the Wanderer Fantasy, coming from the early part of the romantic era.

Liszt: Sonata in B Minor

Han Chen plays Liszt at Central Park West

Han Chen plays Liszt chez Shoemaker

Punctuated at the beginning and the end by a low staccato G, the great Liszt B Minor piano sonata is about half an hour long. This demanding work is so well-known that it has to be delivered with compelling authority, and Han Chen had no difficulty doing so.

From its deceptively simple opening to its keyboard-cracking crescendos, the slight Mr. Chen was totally on top of Liszt’s Sonata and performed it with impressive power and panache. Liszt broke pianos while playing works such as this, so I had to wonder whether Mr. Chen’s hands hurt afterwards. My ears certainly did.

Han Chen

I had no idea what to expect of Han Chen, other than the technical excellence that we take for granted in Julliard musicians. But at the end of the day, Mr. Chen’s Liszt Sonata overshadowed the rest of his program. It left most of us stunned, and your reviewer’s ears ringing.

In his closing remarks, our host Robin Shoemaker noted that in just a few days Han Chen would be participating in the Van Cliburn Competition. We wish Mr. Chen the best of luck: he certainly seems up to the challenge.