AGP Agency presents Balázs Fülei in Review
Balázs Fülei, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
December 9, 2024
Before taking the stage last night in front of a packed Weill Hall, pianist Balázs Fülei was introduced – by a former college mate – as “one of the nicest people in the world.” After listening to this recital, I tend to agree with that statement, although I’m not sure that is indeed the compliment it was meant to be…
Mr. Fülei is a more than capable pianist, with an impressive resume, but to my ears he sounded a bit too “civilized.” As long as the music asked for straightforward storytelling and for conquering treacherous passages (such as in the extensive Liszt transcription in the second half of the program), this pianist provided a solid account. However, when things got rougher, musically speaking – such as in the Beethoven and Chopin pieces – Mr. Fülei was somewhat less convincing.
In a charming intro to the evening, Mr. Fülei explained that he sees this program as made of questions (the first half, which included Chopin’s Fourth Ballade and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, Appassionata), followed by the voice of conviction (the second half, with works by Bartók, Liszt and Kodály). Personally, I felt that his choices were more along the lines of “homage to the Gods” (first half) and “homage to my home country” (second half). Still, if we are to play along with the pianist’s own description, I dare say that he is more apt at providing answers than asking the big questions…
Chopin’s Fourth Ballade is an over-played but elusive masterpiece; it is equal parts of ancient legend and searing drama. In a really outstanding rendition, the pianist needs to master the intricate texture (highly chromatic and often quite dense) and rise above the complexities of the score, making it sound fresh and almost improvisational. Even from the very first bars, Mr. Fülei seemed earthbound, employing a tad too much rubato and a slowish, deliberate pace which dragged things down instead of lifting them up. The main theme sounded more declamatory than intimate and flowing. He did, however, produce some very nice colors along the way. He also tended to “slap” some of the higher notes in the melody, instead of allowing them to sing. Perhaps because the beginning of the piece felt too “real,” the big climax at the end did not have the necessary impact.
Beethoven’s Appassionata is another warhorse of the piano repertoire, and one with considerable challenges even for the most accomplished performers. In the first movement, one of the most difficult tasks is to keep a relentless pulse – like a heartbeat – throughout the movement and yet make it sound completely free and organic. The three-note motif (on which the entire musical discourse is built) feels almost like a Hamletian Dilemma and it is shrouded in mystery and philosophical undertones. Here we arrive again at the point of “questions” – this being a really big one! – and I felt that Mr. Fülei only scratched the surface of what Beethoven attempted to convey. I also wished for more unity of tempo, instead of offering a slightly different pace for every new passage. The second movement was generally played too loudly, almost in a continuous mezzo-forte, in a terre-à-terre fashion not aligned with the spiritual content of the piece. The stormy finale was generally technically mastered but in my opinion lacked the cumulative effect of an impending wave which sweeps everything in its way.
In the second half of the recital, Mr. Fülei provided more information about each piece he performed, and he did so with his usual grace and humor. He began with a set of Romanian Christmas Songs, arranged by Béla Bartók. These traditional Romanian Christmas carols, called Colinde, have an ancestral resonance to them, full of mystical touches. There is nostalgia and a feeling of loss and longing (the word “dor” – almost impossible to translate, though close in meaning to “longing” – comes to mind). Yes, there are perky rhythms, which Mr. Fülei attacked with bravura, but the melody – and there is always a melody – needs to shine through and sing (interestingly, in the Romanian language you “sing” an instrument, you don’t play it!).
Next came the most intriguing and, for me, the best performed piece of the evening. Liszt’s Christus Oratorium (originally written for orchestra) is not a piece I am familiar with. Based on Liszt’s own piano transcription, of which we’ve heard two movements last night, I’m not sure I want to know it better. The music is repetitive, occasionally bombastic, and mostly uninspired. And yet, this is where Mr. Fülei’s gifts truly came to life: telling a story, letting the music breathe, building phrases to reach climaxes. He drew orchestral sounds from the instrument and, in spite of the lackluster quality of the music, he captured my attention for almost half an hour! He found humor in the story of the shepherds by the manger and created a dreamlike atmosphere as the three holy kings bestowed their gifts upon the newborn child. He played with commitment and made a strong case for a work which I’m not sure deserves it – but that is one of the highest achievements a performer can reach.
The last piece on the program, Kodály’s Dances of Marosszék, was a fitting finale to the recital. This is a great work, again inspired by Romanian folk, and Mr. Fülei played it with spirit and gusto! I would have liked to feel more of a common thread running through the different sections, and perhaps the pedaling was over-generous at times, but it was a joy to listen to the imitation of several folk instruments and bask in the excitement that Balázs Fülei shared with us!
