Ken Turner

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Pianist Han Chen Returns to Central Park West

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Han Chen

Han Chen playing Thomas Adès

On August 10th, 2018 Robin Shoemaker once again hosted pianist Han Chen at his Central Park West salon.

Mr. Chen’s program consisted of his repertoire for an upcoming competition in Calgary, Canada.

Han Chen thanked Robin and guests for the opportunity to play these works before a live audience. He explained that this is an essential part of how a pianist prepares.

Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 19 in C Minor D. 958

From the semi-religious grandeur of the opening chords to the manic gallop of the last movement, Han Chen played Schubert’s Sonata with a driven energy that captivated his listeners. At times the rhythm of the piano was reflected in audience motion, as if people were feeling an urge to get up and dance.

On a sticky New York evening the keyboard can get slippery. A couple of times Mr. Chen had to dry his fingertips. He did this in the blink of an eye, with an arm gesture that looked like pianistic panache. If I had not been seated up front, I would have perceived it as Lang Lang style swagger.

Thomas Adès: Concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face

Chen immersed himself in this contemporary work with conviction. He was fun to watch because his style is very expressive, but I did not understand Concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face. Its erratic rhythms and pauses, drifting harmonies and apparent lack of melody left me feeling confused.

I reached out to Mr. Chen after the recital for insight. He explained that the work arose from an Adès opera, and talked about the appeal of the technical challenges of the work.

Franz Liszt: Reminiscences de Don Juan

Host Robin with pianist Han Chen

Under Han Chen’s hands, this demanding work was entertaining and impressive. You can watch him perform it at the Rubenstein Competition (2017) on YouTube at CHEN Han | F. Liszt – Réminiscences of Don Juan, S. 418, Stage I.

On this evening at Central Park West he rose to the challenge literally, rising from the piano bench to put more emphasis into key moments. At one point he even seemed to snarl at the piano.

[encore] Glinka arr Liszt: Chernomor’s March from Ruslan and Lyudmila

I was surprised that Mr. Chen gave an encore after playing his full program with no break. This short and punchy work was a pleasant bonus, at times reminiscent of Mussorgsky.

Han Chen and the Honens Piano Competition

I first saw Han Chen play at Robin’s home in 2017. It was a remarkable event that you can read about in my post Pianist Han Chen at Central Park West. Han went on to reach the semi-finals of the 2017 Van Cliburn Piano Competition.

It was our great pleasure to be Han’s audience for this dry run for the 2018 Honens Piano Competition. His selection showcases his enormous power and virtuosity, affording him moments of triumph reminiscent of Lang Lang. He will do well at this competition.

And Yet

And yet, the moments I personally liked most came during the Schubert Sonata, where Han’s keyboard alternately bubbled with joi-de-vivre and gleamed with serenity. If it is for young pianists like Han Chen to challenge us with new music such as Thomas Adès, it is for those of us at the other end of life’s spectrum to encourage Mr. Chen to share more of his reflective side.

 

 

 

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).

 

 

Khatia Buniatishvili enchants Carnegie, 2016

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Khatia Buniatishvili Carnegie 2016-12-10

Khatia Buniatishvili Carnegie 2016-12-10

On Saturday December 10th, 2016, my wife Patti and I went into New York early to stop in at Europa Cafe (205 W 57th St., recommended) before Khatia Buniatishvili’s recital at Carnegie Zankel.

The program

The repertoire for this recital was distinguished by its grandeur and virtuosity, consisting only of Mussorgsky and Liszt. It was a program of sheer audience indulgence, performed by the strikingly beautiful pianist from the Republic of Georgia.

Khatia Buniatishvili

Khatia Buniatishvili is one of the finest younger pianists that I have discovered through YouTube. Her Vernier rendition of Chopin’s E minor Prelude (Op.28 No. 4), a slow cataclysm wrapped in angel cake, is a standout performance that made her a must-see when it came time to choose a Carnegie subscription for 2016.

For Carnegie, Khatia wore a charcoal evening gown and matte black heels. She walked with grace and had a warm, embracing smile. Her stately carriage continued when she sat. I don’t think I have seen a performer with a straighter back at the piano than Ms. Buniatishvili. It felt to me like we were in the presence of musical royalty.

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition

This piece is best known in Ravel’s orchestration, and some find the original piano score to be ponderous. But under Ms. Buniatishvili’s hands this evening, the Russkaya Dusha of Mussorgsky came through in a way that Ravel’s orchestration does not capture.

From the opening, the pianist used just the right amount of rubato to keep alive phrases that can easily become leaden. Her extensive use of una corda and rapid half-pedal on the sustain (wonderful what you can learn when you are up close) made the more reflective segments glow like the black Steinway did under the Zankel stage lighting.

On the stronger sections the pianist did everything well, but the Carnegie Steinway seemed brassy at the lower end. This had me wondering if we would have been better off with the rounder bass of a Yamaha. But perhaps it was just the acoustics.

Liszt: La Campanella, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

There were four Liszt items on the program, and with each one Ms. Buniatishvili got closer to perfection. I will discuss only the last two: La Campanella and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.

Khatia’s La Campanella was a treat. That said, the top notes seemed too loud compared with the rest of the right hand, which is not the case in her recordings. But I was just 12 feet from the right side of the keyboard, which may have contributed to this.

Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 was, for both my wife and myself, the peak of the evening. It is an exciting virtuoso piece, and was carried off with such vigor and natural feel that it was a perfect conclusion to the program. Here is a link to Khatia’s 2015 Verbier performance, but I thought that her 2016 Carnegie Zankel performance was even better.

Oh, Khatia!

If Ms. Buniatishvili’s entrance to Zankel Hall was stately, her departure was also gracious. She preferred a simple pianist bow, sometimes with left hand on the piano, and she made a point of looking to all the audience, including upstairs and to each side. She also made direct eye contact with me in the front row, which just about blew me out of my chair.

No review of Ms. Buniatishvili would be complete without mentioning her hair. Whenever Khatia plays you will see those ragged curls fall over her eyes. Since her eyes are more often than not closed, this has no effect on her performance. We see that the performer is lost in her art, and we love her all the more for that.

What was that encore?

Khatia’s encore was delightful and familiar but other than recognizing it as Bach, I could not name it. Waiting in line after the concert to meet the artist, I conferred with my neighbors but none of us were sure. I later learned that we know it as “Sheep may safely graze”, from Bach’s Cantata BWV 208. Listen to it in the following video from an earlier Paris performance, where she appears to be wearing the same dress that she wore for Carnegie.

 

My piano is your piano

Khatia Buniatishvili and Ken Turner

Khatia Buniatishvili and the Author at Carnegie

Whenever I go to Carnegie I hope to meet the performer, but this is the first time I succeeded. Newly purchased CD’s in hand to be autographed, I had no coherent way to express what I was feeling! But I am sure that Ms. Buniatishvili is used to goofy grins from people who find themselves in the presence of unique talent and are just happy to be there.

My piano is your piano, Khatia.