Ken Turner

Writer, pianist, pundit

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Kissin at Carnegie Hall May 2018

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Kissin taking bows Carnegie NYC May 2018

Kissin at Carnegie May 2018

On Sunday May 20th, 2018 we had the great fortune to see Evgeny Kissin perform at Carnegie Hall.

The main course was the great Beethoven Hammerklavier (Sonata no. 29 Op. 106), and for dessert there was a hearty serving of Rachmaninov Preludes.

Beethoven’s Sonata No 29 (Hammerklavier)

The Hammerklavier can be a difficult listen. When Yuja Wang played it at Carnegie in 2016, I felt like I had over-eaten. But under Kissin’s hands on this Sunday afternoon in New York, the edgy tapestry of disparate voices came together as a thing of great beauty.

There was none of the overblown rubato that I have called Kissin out for in the past. Nor was this performance at all ascetic. Everything about his Hammerklavier was in perfect balance, leaving the audience in awe. I felt that we were in the presence of greatness.

Selected Preludes (Rachmaninov)

The program contained some 10 Rachmaninov preludes. You can’t go wrong with Kissin and Rachmaninov, in my opinion. Among my favorites was Opus 23 no 2 in B flat major. As to Opus 32 no. 10 in B minor, I felt that his tempo was so slow as to be risky, but it worked.

Kissin’s Encores

Kissin's autograph on my CD

Kissin signed his CD for me

I like that Kissin announces his encores. Without this I would have not known the Scriabin or his own original composition. Rachmaninov’s C sharp minor prelude, however, needed no introduction. Here Kissin’s excellent YouTube recording.

I missed the last two encores because I stepped out early to get in line for the artist’s post-recital CD signing. There were far too many people in line for selfies, which was just as well after the marathon performance by Mr. Kissin. I was happy just to have my little piece of greatness to take home.

 

 

Wanging It at Carnegie Hall May 2018

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Yuja Wang, Carnegie May 17 2018 (credit: Paul Vincent )

Rachmaninov Preludes and Etudes Tableaux

Yuja Wang opened her May 17th 2018 Carnegie recital with Rachmaninov’s Prelude in G Minor Op. 23 No. 5. Starting as a rousing march, this prelude erupts and transforms into an exotic fantasy. The march returns only to recede unexpectedly, as if everyone ran away.

In Yuja’s hands the opening tempo wavered, perhaps in anticipation of Rachmaninov’s cinematic legato or his final, self-deprecating wink. Her interpretation blended the contrasting sections well.

As with Ms. Wang’s 2016 Carnegie recital (reviewed here), the most enjoyable repertoire was at the beginning. I could feel Ms. Wang’s involvement with Rachmaninov, and wished for myself that she had not changed her program to include fewer preludes.

Scriabin, Sonata no. 10 Op. 70

This particular work does not do a lot for this reviewer, so I will not comment on it.

Ligeti Etudes

Before the Ligeti, someone came out to the Carnegie Steinway. At first we thought the piano had a glitch, but actually the gentleman positioned an iPad inside the piano so that Ms. Wang could sight-read. I can understand why memorizing these etudes could be a challenge, but Yuja was totally on top of this work and gave us an enchanting, virtuoso performance.

Prokofiev Sonata No. 8 in B flat major

The Carnegie program described Prokofiev’s Sonata as exhuding a sense of “peace, optimism and resilience”. While the opening has a certain serenity, my overall impression was of occasional major-key sunshine clouded by Prokofiev’s peculiar harmonies and manic rhythms. This was a demanding piece for performer and listener, but Yuja gave an epic rendition.

Seven Encores

In 2016, Yuja Wang played five encores at Carnegie. In 2018, she played seven. While the 2016 encores appeared to be chosen on the spur of the moment, the 2018 encores seemed more deliberate. Yuja traipsed off and on stage between each encore with minimal time spent acknowledging the audience, as if on a mission to cram in as much material as possible.

Fans like myself have heard various of Yuja’s Rondo Alla Turca and Carmen encores many times. This time she seemed a little ragged, but it was still immensely enjoyable, especially when she accelerated Mozart to a ridiculous speed.

Ms. Wang likes to close her encores with something reflective, and this time we got Schubert’s Gretchen am Spinnrade arr. Liszt. She sang silently while playing this. For me this was the peak of our evening with Yuja.

Yuja Wang Carnegie May 2018 (credit: Patti Turner)

Elegance and Excess

Yuja Wang came on stage in a breathtaking purple dress with skin-toned midriff. This drew wild cheers from the Carnegie audience. We expect such elegance from our cultural icons, of course.

Post-intermission Ms. Wang likes to wear something more revealing. I wonder if she realizes how hard it can be be hard to listen to her play when your view of the pianist is limited to whatever is showing under the piano.

Has Yuja Wang Grown Up?

There was more musical bite to Yuja’s 2018 program, but less spontaneity in the encores. The speed with which she raced through the encores, and the short steps she took due to high heels and tight clothing, made her look like a clockwork doll. Perhaps it was just the cumulative effect of months of touring, but to this reviewer it felt like Ms. Wang was drifting away from her audience. Has Yuja Wang grown up? Let’s hope not!

François-Xavier Poizat Waltzes Through Central Park West

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Robin and Francois-Xavier

François-Xavier Poizat May 5th, 2018

On Saturday May 5th, 2018, Robin Shoemaker hosted a Salon Concert with pianist François-Xavier Poizat at Central Park West.

This accomplished young Julliard graduate has an impressive CV, and the program for the evening looked enticing.

Années de Pèlerinage, Première année suite, Franz Liszt

Liszt’s weighty suite consists of a series of piano pieces imbued with literary and historical associations. There is self-conscious grandeur in some of these episodes that challenges the pianist with its key-pounding lack of subtlety.

Poizat immersed himself in Liszt’s theatricality, shaking the floor when stamping the sostenuto, attacking Liszt’s parallel octaves with vigor. At more reflective moments he would stare beyond the keyboard, or drop his forehead towards the keybed. This was a strong and heartfelt presentation.

Variations sur un thème de Chopin, Federico Mompou

Mompou’s variations are based on Chopin’s one-minute long Prelude in A major Op. 28, No. 7. It was elegantly played by Mr. Poizat, but I could not help but wonder why a composer would tinker with such a Chopin gem.

Ravel’s La Valse, arr. Alexander Ghindin

Poizat at Central Park West

Poizat introduced Ravel’s La Valse to us as a post-war (World War 1) ‘swan song” to the great Viennese waltz. The composer himself, however, described the work more as a waltz gradually revealed, than as a declining tradition or the symbolic end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Poizat’s virtuoso Ravel contained little sense of decline or loss. He uplifted us with waves of criss-crossing glissandos and stunned us with left fist blows to the bottom end of the keyboard. While he had my head spinning like a dancer in the swirling waltz, he stayed focused on the flow of Ravel’s masterpiece and earned a rousing ovation.

Encore: Waltz No. 2, Shostakovich

After Ravel, Poizat surprised us by returning to the keyboard for an encore.  Since we clearly loved waltzes, he would play another one! I expected a light dessert such as a Chopin waltz, but this was not a Chopin sort of night.

Instead, he served up Shostakovich’s lugubrious Waltz No. 2 in a stunning, unpublished arrangement. This very satisfying conclusion resulted in your reviewer purchasing Poizat’s CD containing both waltzes (http://www.fxpoizat.com/#discography).