2008-2009 Recitals and Performers
Ukiah pianist and teacher Elena Casanova opens the season with Beethoven’s 6 Paisiello Variations and the dramatic Appassionata Sonata in F Minor, followed by Liszt favorites – the third Consolation in D Flat and Liebestraume. The remainder is all Latin music – Ernesto Lecuona and Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2.
Ms. Casanova’s Website: http://www.elenacasanova.com
Program:
Beethoven: 6 Variations (Paisiello) and 23rd Sonata, Op. 57 (Appassionata)
Liszt: Consolation No. 3 & Liebestraume No. 3
Lecuona: Andalucia, Gitanerias, Malaguena
Ginastera: Three Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2
Recital Review:
CASANOVA'S LISZT AND GINASTERA THRILL LARGE UKIAH AUDIENCE
by Terry McNeill
Friday, November 07, 2008
The proverbial "no person is a hero in their own backyard" was certainly false Nov. 2 when pianist Elena Casanova attracted the largest solo classical audience in memory to her Mendocino College recital, launching the sixth Concerts Grand season.
Before 210 partisans in Center Theater, Casanova tackled an eclectic program centered on Beethoven and Latin music, with a quick side trip for two dreamy Liszt works. The Third Consolation, performed before the Third Liebestraume, brought from Casanova some of the best playing of the afternoon – note perfect, deftly phrased and rich with color. An adroit arpeggio at bar 55 delicately disclosed Liszt’s tasteful dissonance, and the ritards were substantial enough to almost break the musical line. Almost, but not quite.
Beethoven’s "Paisiello" Variations began the program, inauspiciously both because of some tentative passages and the ephemeral nature of the writing. The theme and six short variations are quickly forgotten, far removed from the great "Eroica" and "Diabelli" sets. Not so of course for the ever-popular F Minor Sonata, Op. 57 (Appassionata) which received a careful but committed reading. Casanova was never in any hurry to get anywhere, shedding light on the dramatic qualities of the opening Allegro assai, and managing well the difficult articulation problems in the second part of the second subject. This was not an Appassionata of heroic proportions, but one well thought out and played with rhythmic certainty. The fortissimo 13 chords that begin the finale were curiously played softly, with a slight crescendo at the end, defying the score but producing an engaging effect. The movement didn’t end with the expected full-throttle roar, but the high "Cs" in the right hand sounded with the requisite power, and the large gathering was immediately on its feet to cheer.
Three short Lecuona pieces began the second half, preceded by comments from the pianist. Malaguena, the best known (the others were Andalucia and Gitanerias) had the expected rhythmic subtlety, and the pianism was secure and idiomatic. The same can be said of Casanova’s transversal of Ginastera?s Danzas Argentinas, Op. 2, composed in 1937. These are energetic works, the concluding Danza del Gaucho Matrero having the most pianistic fireworks of the afternoon, with handfuls of skips, long glissandos and off-beat accents. It was a tour de force, and Casanova was brought back to the stage several times, relenting with one encore. Like the other Latin works on the program, the "La Bella Cubana" of Afro-Cuban composer Jose White was receiving a rare hearing in Ukiah, and Casanova played the lovely habanera with just the right mixture of flexible pulse and sensuous languor.
Elena Casanova is one of Mendocino County’s best musicians, equally at home with Liszt’s "Dreams of Love" and the piquant excitement of Ginastera’s Argentine Pampa.
The concert was recorded and filmed, something seemingly fitting for a genuine local hero.
N. B. - the writer is the Producer of the Concerts Grand series.
Reviews of Northern California classical music events: classicalsonoma.org
Russian virtuoso Elena Ulyanova launches Concerts Grand’s collaboration with Tiburon’s St. Hilary Church in an exciting West Coast debut recital, followed by a gala gourmet buffet dinner. Ms. Ulyanova has programmed Soler’s Sonata in D and Beethoven’s mighty Appassionata Sonata, two Debussy Preludes and La Soiree Dans Grenade, and Rachmaninoff’s volcanic B-Flat Sonata, Op. 36. Ms. Ulynaova’s Website: http://www.elena-ulyanova.com/
Program:
Soler: Sonata in D, R. 84;
Beethoven: 23rd Sonata, Op. 57 (Appassionata)
Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22
Two Debussy: Brouillards;
Ondine: La Soiree Dans Grenade;
Rachmaninoff: 2nd Sonata in B-Flat, Op. 36
| St. Hilary’s Church, 761 Hilary Drive, Tiburon | |
| 6pm – Pre-Recital Reception in Parish Hall | |
| 7pm – Recital in Sanctuary | |
| 8-9:30pm – Elegant Buffet in Parish Hall | |
ULYANOVA WINS THEM OVER
by Terry McNeill
A pianist planning a West Coast debut recital in front of a fashionable and cosmopolitan audience faces a daunting prospect, especially when playing virtuoso works familiar to all. Ukrainian pianist Elena Ulyanova surmounted most of these obstacles Nov. 14 with formidable energy at Tiburon’s St. Hilary Church. The event was the second Concerts Grand recital of the year and part of the wildly popular classical series produced by St. Hilary Music Director Vince Stadlin and Cantor Kenneth Graham.
Fresh from recitals in Chicago and Washington DC, Ulyanova began briskly with Soler’s Sonata in D (R. 84), a work which, though effective, reminds one that everything Padre Soler wrote was done much better by Scarlatti, and with more humor by Haydn. Another matter was Beethoven’s Sonata in F, Op. 57 (Appassionata), a driving and dramatic odyssey that allowed Ulyanova full rein in displaying her cross-hand and fast scale technique. As throughout the evening, she chose fast tempos that often blurred the thematic lines and compromised the lyricism. But this is a "go for broke" piece and was not the least underplayed, with Ulyanova pushing lines and suppressing voice leadings to accentuate the excitement. It was a performance quite different from the recent Elena Casanova Appassionata rendition in Ukiah. Both readings were idiomatic and widely diverse in coloristic effects and weight.
The first half closed with the Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante in E Flat, Op. 22, an early Chopin work that virtuosos such as Hofmann and Horowitz made famous. The performance was relaxed and architecturally tight, and the poetic Andante was carefully phrased and assured. Rhythms in a Chopin polonaise are tricky to project, especially when played in a sprightly manner, and Ulyanova on this recital decided that rhythmic nuance was subordinate to lyrical momentum. Her concluding cascade of scale passages was effective at full pedal, and she ended with five triumphant E Flat unison chords.
Two Debussy Preludes began the second half, Brouillards and Ondine. Both had the right atmosphere but continued the inclination to fast tempos. This absolute French music is as much about the silences as the actual notes. One longed for other Debussy works to display Ulyanova’s staccato touch, perhaps "La Danse de Puck" or "La Puerta del Vino."
Two Rachmaninoff selections closed the program, the first the short and dreamy Prelude (in G, Op. 32) and the second the volcanic Second Sonata in B Flat, Op. 36. Ulyanova’s fleet approach was ill-suited to the nostalgic Prelude, the playing of which can evoke memories of cold Russian nights and moonlit snow. Here it sounded like playing in a piano studio, uninvolved, the last three chaste chords played unadorned with no retard or diminuendo.
Any uncertainty about Ulyanova’s command of Rachmaninoff’s bravura was swept away with an orchestral performance of the great Sonata, in the Horowitz edition. The first movement opened with resounding chords in the bass, getting more sound from the house Baldwin concert grand than regular St. Hilary parishioners could remember. The middle movement Non Allegro had the requisite songfulness, though again with a tendency to the perfunctory. The finale brought out all of the pianist?s heavy artillery ? massive broken octaves, endurance, wide skips and brilliant passage work. The individual parts of the sonata often seem greater than the whole, but Ulyanova brought opulent passion that conquered all. Nothing was left on the table.
Following the bagatelle of a Scarlatti encore, the audience proceeded to the lavish Parish Hall for a splendid buffet prepared by the church staff, and more piano playing, albeit with less serious repertoire, from Ken Iisaka, Gini Wilson, Kenn Gartner, Elizabeth MacDougall, David Caldine, Elena Casanova and the effervescent St. Hilary Pastor, Fr. James Tarantino.
Note: The reviewer is the producer of Concerts Grand series.
Reviews of Northern California classical music events: classicalsonoma.org
A North Bay favorite, internationally-acclaimed pianist Jon Nakamatsu returns to
Newman Auditorium with an eclectic program: Haydn’s 33rd Sonata in C; Schumann’s commanding Carnaval, Op. 9; five Dances from Iranian composer Loris Tjeknavorian; and pieces by Liszt: two rarely-heard Impromptus and the powerful Dante Sonata from the Annees de Pelerinage.Mr. Nakamatsu’s Website: http://www.jonnakamatsu.com
Program:
Haydn: Sonata in C, No. 33, Hob XV1/20
Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9; Tjeknavorian 5 Dances, Op. 2
Liszt: Two Impromptus and the Dante Sonata
Recital Review:
NAKAMATSU OFFERS PROVOCATIVE MUSICAL INTOXICATION
by Terry McNeill
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Many components go into a fine piano recital — the artist’s technique, rhythmic control, range of tonal colors, choice of repertoire, and even stamina. All can combine to make a first-rate performance. But in recent local recitals, a key part for listeners — the aspect of being thrilled — has gone missing. Not so for Bay Area hero Jon Nakamatsu, who provided thrills across the musical spectrum on Nov. 30 in a sensational Newman Auditorium recital for the Concerts Grand series in Santa Rosa.
Before a nearly full house, liberally sprinkled with musicians, Nakamatsu performed mostly dance-related pieces with masterly control of line and color. His recital was an object lesson in projection of difficult music, nearly all which required resolute concentration by listeners and rewarded such close attention with sonic delights.
Beginning with Haydn’ s Sonata No. 33 in C Minor, Nakamatsu quickly demonstrated why his playing is nonpareil. Each of the three movements had lift and clarity, his careful use of dynamics and articulation highlighting the drama and pathos. Haydn’ s sonatas seem to be almost displacing those of Mozart and Scarlatti, a welcome development. All was in impeccable order, whetting the appetite for a big work from the Romantic era.
Carnaval is one of Schumann’s masterpieces, not often played in Santa Rosa, and several seasoned members of the audience could only recall a long-ago Claudio Arrau performance for the Community Concerts series. Nakamatsu’s reading is likewise sure to linger in the memory. His balanced phrasing and economy of motion in both hands was a marvel, the fleet scales and coloristic effects becoming an object lesson for each of the piece’s 22 sections. He can play very fast with nary a slip, and only the tempo in the Paganini part causing some missed notes in the wide right-hand skips. Rachmaninoff’s famous recording is of equal speed, and praise for Nakamatsu can thus go no higher. The final left-hand crossover chord brought a roar from the crowd, to my mind the loudest and most prolonged "noise" heard in Newman, surpassing the tumult offered to Garrick Ohlsson after his 2007 Liszt B Minor Sonata. In his remarks to the audience at the beginning of the second half. Nakamatsu acknowledged the commotion by saying that he thought he couldn’t perform much better, and reflected about driving off in his car, but of course remembered that another 45 minutes of playing was in front of him!
And it was an eminent second half, led off by five piquant Danses Fantastiques, Op. 2, of Iranian-American composer Loris Tjeknavorian. Each of the five told a different story, some vaguely reminiscent of Bartok, some scattered tableaux spiced with contrary motion octaves, powerful sforzandos and false cadences. Originally part of a 1962 ballet, these dances deserve repertoire status. Several people later asked the pianist about getting a copy of the score.
Far from dissonance, but nonetheless harmonically divergent, were two short Liszt Impromptus, the first dedicated to an admirer of the composer, Princess Gortschakoff. As in many late Liszt works, the wistfulness dominated, bathed in a precursor of Impressionism. The more popular Valse Impromptu found Nakamatsu in a playful mood, adding small alterations to the rhythms and catching with gorgeous dexterity the work’s insouciance.
Completing the program was the so called "Dante" Sonata, a single-movement piece that is perhaps closer to Berlioz than anything Liszt ever wrote. Its pictorial drama is difficult for many to comprehend, as the free rhapsodic style depicts a turbulent Paradise and juxtaposes a stark variety of theatrical scenes. Nakamatsu made a cohesive case with scintillating octaves, forte block chords and shimmering tremolos, all part of a convincing whole. It was one of the best readings of the work I have ever heard, and the audience exacted two encores, each a testimony to Nakamatsu’ s elegant pianism.
Mendelssohn’ s celebrated Introduction and Rondo Capriccio, Op. 14, was the proper tonic after the Liszt pyrotechnics. All was in place — repose, sparkling scales, controlled passage work and a suitably rousing ending. The Fourth Chopin Impromptu followed, the "I’m Always Chasing Rainbows" motif from Tin Pan Alley fame sung with grace and delicate finger staccato.
The recital was a throwback to what Hofmann, Busoni, Rachmaninoff and Horowitz did in the last century, combining sovereign pianistic execution with extraordinary emotional impact. Jon Nakamatsu achieved a similar result with the great Steinway last Sunday, drawing listeners into a rare 90 minutes of provocative musical intoxication.
Note: The reviewer is the producer of the Concerts Grand series.
Reviews of Northern California classical music events: classicalsonoma.org
Ken Iisaka returns to the Concerts Grand stage, this time in Marin, performing Haydn’s Sonata in C, No. 60; Berg’s Sonata, Op. 1; A Debussy Prelude; the adagio from Krenek’s Third Sonata; and two demanding masterworks: The Brahms-Handel Variations and Fugue, Op. 24, and Nikolai Medtner’s Sonata-Ballada, Op. 27.
Mr. Iisaka plays Soler: Sonata in B minor
Program:
Haydn: Sonata in C, No. 60, Hob.XVI/50
Berg: Sonata in B, Op. 1; Debussy Preludes, Bk. 1 De Pas Sur La Neige
Krenek: Sonata No. 3, Op. 92 (Adagio)
Brahms-Handel: Variations and Fugue, Op. 24
Medtner: Sonata-Ballada, Op. 27
Recital Review:
PIANISTIC LARGESSE IN MARIN
by Terry McNeill
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Marin pianist Ken Iisaka has been getting around lately, playing frequent concerts, competing in high-level competitions, writing about music and investigating rare repertoire that incites new interest. But he is seldom heard in a formal winter recital setting, with a good piano, and with somewhat standard compositions. The oversight was remedied January 25 when he presented four big works at San Rafael’s JB Piano Emporium under the auspices of the Concerts Grand piano series.
The afternoon’s music began with Haydn, specifically the effervescent Sonata No. 60 (Hob. XVI/50) that Lang Lang has frequently performed. Iisaka’s reading had all the humor and digital dexterity of Lang, along with exceptionally effective blurred pedal effects in the opening Allegro and deftly handled modulations in the Finale.
Brahms’ big Handel Variations, Op. 24, closed the first half. This monumental work from 1862 received an ardent reading, somewhat conventional compared to the text changes made in the classic Petri and Solomon recordings, but altogether achieving a powerful drama. The playing was not note perfect, but Iisaka generated momentum and majesty at the expense of precision. Tempos were brisk and allowed colorful inner details to shine. Iisaka had his arms solidly around the work.
Following an intermission spiced with gratis champagne and lots of audience piano playing on the store’s instruments (thankfully not the Grotrian 275 on the stage), Iisaka presented one of his signature pieces, the Berg Sonata, Op. 1. This sonata is a highly chromatic and thick-textured work, with seemingly everything growing from the first measures. Iisaka played it with fastidious attention to inner lines and polyphonic detail. Early Berg looks back toward the Romantic era, and Iisaka deftly spotlighted the connections.
Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) remains one of the Rodney Dangerfields of 20th century piano composers – never getting much public respect and eternally in the shadow of Rachmaninoff. His F-Sharp “Sonata Ballada,” Op. 27, concluded the program, and Iisaka played the cyclic forms so favored by Medtner with sharp relief. Iisaka clearly loves this music, and he lavished great care with the ephemeral themes and distinct contrasts. The constant breaks between the lyricism and passionate parts were effectively juxtaposed.
Iisaka tends to be generous with his pianistic largesse, and he offered two big sets of variations as encores. First came Kapustin’s Op.80 Theme and Variations, a tour-de-force fusion of jazz rhythms and the descending-note motif from Stravinsky’s “Sacre du Printemps.” This reviewer was not alone in being unable to find the theme in the cascade of notes, and the pianist kindly showed the errors of our ways by demonstrating the motif prior to introducing yet another long and demanding encore, Mozart’s 12 variations on “Ah! Vous Dirai-Je, Maman.” Here Iisaka reveled in the complexity of the variation forms, displaying a light touch and droll phrasing. An éclair to end a recital of provocative music.
Reviews of Northern California classical music events: classicalsonoma.org
An audience favorite from the fourth Concerts Grand season, Professor Rachmanov makes his Sonoma County debut performance with an all-Schubert first-half, including the Huttenbrenner 13 Variations, D. 156, and the exciting Wanderer Fantasy in C Major. The recital’s final part contains Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and Stravinsky’s acerbic Sonata (1924).
Rachmaninov plays:
Six Variations in F major on an Original Theme, Op. 34
Prof. Rachmanov’s Website:http://www.dmitryrachmanov.com/
Program:
Schubert: "Huttenbrenner" Variations and the "Wanderer" Fantasy, Op. 15
Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Stravinsky: Sonata (1924)
Recital Review:
VIGOR AND PIZZAZZ
by Terry McNeill
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Russian pianist Dmitry Rachmanov is a careful and attentive player with ample power when needed, and he brought these qualities to a Super Bowl-day audience Feb. 1 at SRJC’s Forsyth Hall. Though the repertoire was a little conventional, the performances were probing and memorable.
In several ways the opening work, Beethoven’s Variations in F, Op. 34, was the most finished presentation of the afternoon, the fifth recital in the current Concerts Grand season. All was in place – rhythmic control, subtle dynamics, and clear articulation. Each of these variations has an individual personality, elegantly brought out by the pianist. It was a rarely programmed piece played marvelously.
The afternoon’s cornerstone work, Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasie, D. 760, received all of Rachmanov’s pianistic artistry without being wholly successful. Make no mistake, the powerful momentum and drama needed in this work (which Schubert reportedly couldn’t play) were in place. What was missing was the comprehensive whole, the polish which Rachmanov lavished several years ago on works by Schumann and the Russian composer Nikolai Medtner in a Marin recital. Rachmanov had everything in hand with Schubert’s forward-looking work, including a secure octave technique, consummate phrasing and stamina to burn. After the recital the artist mentioned that it was only the second time he had ever played the great Fantasie in public, and pieces of that magnitude take time to gel. He has his arms around the Schubert, but it needs more refinement.
Following intermission two works were offered: Stravinsky’s Sonata from 1924 and the “Le Tombeau de Couperin” of Ravel. Stravinsky's thin-textured Sonata is in a Baroque style, though the Adagietto is florid and warm. Rachmanov’s playing here had solid rhythmic control and just the right amount of “detache” finger staccato. In the Ravel, the captivating and gentle outdoor-sounding Fugue in the final storm of the Toccata brought the small audience to its feet. The six pieces of “Le Tombeau” are Ravel’s homage to the 18th century and, like the Schubert, were played with urgency, if without the last measure of polish. The Rigaudon had the right dose of vigor and pizzazz, and the Minuet spotlighted the lyricism of the upper registers.
No encores were given, but Rachmanov enjoyed the acclaim and commentary of the piano cognoscenti after a recital filled with ardent and noble music.
The reviewer is the Producer of the Concerts Grand series.
Reviews of Northern California classical music events: classicalsonoma.org
Fresh from her seventh tour of Japan, Elena Kuschnerova plays Bach’s 2nd French Suite and commemorates Mendelssohn’s 200th birthday with short piano pieces and the Variations Serieuses. The second half is all Russian: a Glinka Nocturne, Tchaikovsky’s Variations in F, two pieces written for Ms. Kuschnerova by Alexander Lokshin, and Stravinsky’s formidable Three Pieces from Petrushka.
Kuschnerova plays: Chopin's "Revolutionary" Etude
Ms. Kuschnerova’s Website: http://www.elenakuschnerova.com/
Program:
Bach: French Suite No. 2
Mendelssohn: 3 Songs W/O Words and Variations Serieuses
Glinka: Nocturne "Separation"; Tchaikovsky Variations in F
Lokshin: Prelude/Theme/Variations and "In The Spring"
Stravinsky: Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka
Recital Review:
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
by Terry McNeill
Sunday, March 1, 2009
People attending pianist Elena Kuschnerova’s March 1 Newman Auditorium concert came with anticipation of a challenging afternoon, as the Russian’s presence on YouTube and a comprehensive website disclosed a wide range of repertoire and powerful command of the instrument. I don’t believe anyone was disappointed.
Part of the Concerts Grand series, the recital’s first section was all German, appropriate as Kuschnerova lives in Baden Baden, and it’s the 200th anniversary of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn. The Variations Serieuses, Op. 54, and three of the Songs Without Words were performed with richly contrasting textures and a long lyrical line. The songs (May Breezes, Lost Illusions, and Spinning Song) received warm readings with a delicate touch and sprightly agility. The variations were played with consummate pianistic skill, notably the fugal (No. 10) and the following Schumannesque (No. 11). Everything was in place with technical dash, the descending left-hand figurations in the 15th variation resounding deep into the bass. Mendelssohn never wrote a better work for piano, and Kuschnerova gave a grand reading.
Bach’s Second French Suite began the program. Kuschnerova played it in a carefully measured way, the architectural backbone surrounded by sparkles of notes, all held together by clear delineation of each of the voices. The fast Corrente was deftly played and the two-voice Gigue’s dotted notes received an attentive performance in decorous Baroque style.
Kuschnerova chose only Russian composers for the second half, running a chronological gamut from the first great one (Glinka) to the controversial Alexander Lokshin (1920-1987). Glinka’s lovely short Nocturne La Separation mirrors Field’s works of the same title, less complex and deep than Chopin’s oeuvre, but no less lyrical. Tchaikovsky’s Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 19, followed, and its 16-measure theme was nobly stated. The quirky third variation was brilliantly played, the alla mazurka ninth danced provocatively, and the conclusions of the fleet coda brought down the house.
The pianist preceded Alexander Lokshin’s In The Spring and Prelude and Theme with Variations with an extended summary from the stage of Lokshin’s tragic life under Soviet rule. Kuschnerova knew the composer, and her sympathy with his plight was palpable. In the Spring, a poetic 45-bar bagatelle, was lovely, and the variations were sharply dissonant and assured. A good number of the 85 in the audience stood to applaud, a novel demonstration for an unknown composer’s work, and certainly a tribute to Kuschnerova’s passionate advocacy. Lokshin’s music has had few champions, the conductor Rudolph Barshai now being joined by Kuschnerova in heralding a Soviet-era master.
Closing a memorable concert was the tumult of Stravinsky’s Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka, virtuoso paraphrases of three scenes from the famous ballet of 1920. This polytonal transcription ranks with a handful of piano works (e. g., Liszt’s Tannhauser Overture, Balakirev’s Islamey, and Ives’ Concord Sonata) as the most difficult to play on the modern piano. Kuschnerova, who was not well during the entire recital, rose to the pyrotechnical demands of the Danse Russe and La Semaine Grasse magnificently. She seemed to tire towards the end, losing small details in the volleys of forte octaves, march-like chords and incessant bravura.
Three encores were offered, the best being another Mendelssohn song (Passion) and Siloti’s transcription of the Bach Prelude in B Minor. The latter was a richly colored example of captivating legato playing.
Elena Kuschnerova communicated in a personal way with her Newman audience, serving the composers she chose to perform and exemplifying the majesty of the great Russian romantic piano tradition.
Marin pianist Ken Iisaka contributed to this review.
Reviews of Northern California classical music events: classicalsonoma.org
Godowsky scholar and dynamic Guerneville virtuoso Antonio Iturrioz closes the season with North Bay premieres of three Godowsky works, including the exacting Passacaglia. Following Liszt’s visionary Benediction de Dieu Dans la Solitude, the Cuban-born Mr. Iturrioz will repeat the work which brought down the house in the first Concerts Grand season, Liszt’s Reminiscences from Bellini’s Opera Norma.
Iturrioz plays: Moszkowski Etude Op.92 No. 2 for the left hand
Mr. Iturrioz’ Website: http://www.aiturrioz.com/
Program:
Bach-Godowsky Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (From the 5th Cello Suite)
Schubert-Godowsky Cradle Song
Godowsky Passacaglia
Sepos Tango Blue
Liszt Benediction de Dieu dans La Solitude
Liszt Reminiscences from Bellini’s Opera "Norma"
Recital Review:
ITURRIOZ MAKES EMOTIONAL RETURN
by Kenn Gartner
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Antonio Iturrioz made an emotional return April 26 to the Newman Auditorium stage at SRJC, the same spot he was supposed to occupy nearly two years ago when an accident just one hour before curtain prevented his appearance. This time Iturrioz not only arrived in robust health but presented a program of rarely heard works, communicating to 135 people his devotion for the neglected composer Leopold Godowsky, and exhibiting elegant if occasionally unsatisfying pianism.
Godowsky’s Alt Wien (Old Vienna) began the program, and Iturrioz played it mit schwung — polished, sophisticated, and in a true Viennese waltz style, making sure we heard the rests. He proceeded to give the crowd a complete set of verbal program notes, pointing out that those in favor of neoclassicism after 1900 ignored the music of Godowsky (1870-1938), a composer to whom he has devoted years of study. That people ignored Godowsky is certainly true, probably because his compositions are exceedingly complex. They are contrapuntal to an extent achieved only by Bach in his Musical Offering, which features a fugue for six voices. The counterpoint is so dense that one only perceives chords. The same is true for Godowsky. As one audience member put it: "It all sounds the same," and there was a rhythmic monotony to several transcriptions from the Bach violin and cello suites.
Iturrioz is a master of the left hand and has produced several DVDs illustrating left-hand works and technique. Not surprisingly, his performance of Alexander Scriabin’s Nocturne in D flat, Opus 9, No. 2, was all about the left hand. The distinction between the Nocturne’s melodic lines and the accompaniment figuration was sparse, and the melodies were often attached legato to background figuration. The tempos were the slowest the reviewer has heard in live performance, yet the trills were marvelous. Godowsky’s reworking for the left hand of Chopin’s sensuous Etude in E Flat, Op. 10, No. 6, was played with a delicate touch and tonal richness. Iturrioz gave the same beauty to Godowsky’s versions of Schubert’s Litany and Henry Bishop’s Home Sweet Home. Both featured pianistic tenderness and suave detail.
After intermission, Iturrioz played Sonoma County composer Charles Sepos’s Tango Blue, a work whose cluster style seemed alien to the rest of the program. The work comes from a collection of 100 three-minute tangos composed by 100 composers as diverse as John Cage and Otto Leuning and collated into The Tango Project in 1985. The Iturrioz performance was good to hear. The only other tango from the Project that has had repeated performances is Steven Rosenhaus’s The Kiss.
Two major Liszt works, the second Legend and the Reminiscences from Norma, ended each half and were in most ways disappointing. As in the Scriabin, Iturrioz adopted glacial tempos, gaining clarity and differentiation of voices at the expense of momentum, bravura and the long line. He also took many short pauses, presumably to set his hands before short virtuosic passages, which adversely affected the histrionic impact of the massive works, particularly the Legend. A pianist can get away with a lot of orchestral playing and long damper-pedal phrases in Liszt, but Iturrioz chose to slow everything down, resulting in underwhelming readings.
There was one encore, a lovely reading of Noche Azul by Ernesto Lecuona. Here the fluent rhythms and perfect legato were in harmony, the affect amorous.
Musicologist Jim Burns and Concerts Grand producer Terry McNeill contributed to this review.
Reviews of Northern California classical music events: classicalsonoma.org