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Carnegie 2018: Take It or Levit

Saturday, October 20th, 2018 by Ken Leave a Comment

Igor Levit, Carnegie Zankel October 2018

Igor Levit at Carnegie Zankel October 2018

Igor Levit’s 2017 Carnegie recital was described by one reviewer as “a peak pianistic experience of my concertgoing life”.

I signed up for Levit’s 2018 Carnegie recital hoping for just such an experience.

However for me the repertoire of the October 19th recital alone was sufficient reason to subscribe.

And so, after gorgeing ourselves at the Brooklyn Diner on West 57th Street, my dear wife and I entered Carnegie Zankel stuffed with great food and full of expectations.

Bach: Chaconne in D Minor (left hand, arr. Brahms)

I have attended strong two-handed performances of Bach’s D Minor Chaconne (arr. Busoni) by Han Chen and Virna Kljakovic. However Igor Levit was my first live experience of Brahms’ left hand arrangement. I had great hopes for it, because the underlying Partita is superlative.

Bach Partita #2’s Chaconne soars to spiritual heights and sinks to the edge of despair (over the death of Bach’s wife, some say).

But when compared with the edgy clarity of Hilary Hahn’s violin or the harmonic density of Busoni’s two-handed arrangement, Levit’s Chaconne felt as cold as the stone of a cathedral. Somewhere between Brahms and this pianist, the flame went out.

Busoni: Fantasia after J.S. Bach, BV 253

As per Busoni, Fantasia opens serioso, sostenuto e sempre sottovoce. In Levit’s hands, these directions were faithfully executed.

From my front row right seat, I had a great view of Levit’s sostenuto. I was able to see how he worked the pedals to create ethereal tones in higher registers. He used much partial pedal to thread the hazardous path between too little resonance and too much.

I could literally see the resulting harmonics hanging in the air. They looked like a church organ, with harp-like strings in place of pipes.

Mr. Levit’s performance of this work was the high point of his recital, and utterly mesmerizing. You can hear him play this for yourself at Igor Levit plays Busoni Fantasia nach J.S. Bach – live 2015.

Schumann: Variations in E-flat Major on an Original Theme

This serene but unremarkable work left your reviewer unmoved. This was not through any fault of Mr. Levit. Schumann never has done much for me. Perhaps you, dear reader, will get more out of Igor Levit’s Variations in E-Flat Major on an Original Theme “Ghost Variations”, WoO 24 than I did.

Wagner: Solemn March to the Holy Grail from Parsifal (arr. Liszt)

The Solemn March opens with a descending bass motif that sounds like huge bells tolling over a stately procession. The bells continue throughout the work, giving it a gravitas that fitted the rest of the recital program. Although there are more dramatic performances, I personally appreciated Mr. Levit’s understated interpretation.

Liszt: Fantasia and Fugue on Ad nos, ad salutarem undam (arr. Busoni)

Liszt is the kind of composer you either love or you hate. My wife and I are at opposite ends of this spectrum, but I have to agree that this brash, showy work does not inspire me the way even the Parsifal arrangement did.

In my opinion Mr. Levit could profitably have dropped this work from his program, buying him time for a couple of encores that would have greatly endeared him to his neglected Carnegie audience.

Frederic Rzewski “A Mensch” from Dreams, Part I [encore]

Mr. Levit announced that he would play only one encore. Disappointing as this was, it is hard to imagine following a program of such gravity with any kind of casual crowd-pleaser.

Indeed, A Mensch was no crowd-pleaser. Your unfortunate reviewer neither liked nor understood this awkward, atonal work. For future performances, it would help if Mr. Levit would grace his audience with a brief musical introduction.

What was the point of the pianist rapping the piano with his fingers, or the closing moment when he slid his foot off the damper pedal so that it sprang up with a loud CLACK?

Igor Levit: one of a kind

When Mr. Levit was ready to start Busoni’s Fantasia, a latecomer was being seated. Whatever he may have felt, Levit flashed a good-natured smirk at the audience. It was a reassuring moment, and one of many indications that although Igor Levit is a different kind of pianist, he is still human.

There were cases where Mr. Levit’s individuality was less impressive. At the end of Busoni’s Fantasia, and again at the end of Liszt/Wagner’s Solemn March to the Holy Grail, the audience waited politely for the pianist to sit up and indicate that he was finished. Instead, Levit started the next part of his recital. These were awkward moments, verging on rude.

There were other moments that I could cite to illustrate Mr. Levit’s uniqueness, but I will trade them all for the answer to one question. When you were sight-reading from your iPad, Mr. Levit, I did not see a page-turner pedal. So how did you turn the page?

 

 

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Filed Under: Concerts, Public concerts Tagged With: Bach, Busoni, Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Zankel, Chaconne, Frederic Rzewski, Han Chen, Hilary Hahn, Igor Levit, Liszt, Schumann, Virna Kljakovic

Kissin at Carnegie Hall May 2018

Monday, May 21st, 2018 by Ken Leave a Comment

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.

 

 

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Filed Under: Concerts, Pianists, Piano, Public concerts Tagged With: Beethoven, Carnegie Hall, Evgeny Kissin, Kissin, pianist, Rachmaninov

Wanging It at Carnegie Hall May 2018

Friday, May 18th, 2018 by Ken Leave a Comment

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!

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Filed Under: Concerts, Piano, Public concerts Tagged With: Carnegie Hall, Ligeti, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Yuja Wang

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Ken Turner is a Scottish-born American writer who blogs about everything piano. Read More…

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