Scandinavia House, New York, NY
October 17, 2024
On the same night when many music lovers flocked to Carnegie Hall for Daniil Trifonov’s latest recital, a smaller but very enthusiastic group filled up (quite literally) the Victor Borge concert hall at the Scandinavia House, for the piano recital of Daniel Gortler. Mr. Gortler, an Israeli-American pianist with an impressive résumé, used this evening as a launching event for his latest recording – a selection of twenty-one Lyric Pieces by Edvard Grieg (of which he only performed twelve at this event). Based on what I’ve heard, I am tempted to purchase the CD and enjoy more of this pianist’s refined playing.
As we were informed in the program, the instrument on which Mr. Gortler performed belonged initially to Victor Borge, and is on loan to the Scandinavia House through the generosity of Borge’s grandson. Perhaps as a nod to the irreverent former owner, Mr. Gortler appeared wearing zipper-pocket pants and white sneakers. I’m not entirely convinced that his outfit complemented the beautifully curated program, and I feel that a fashion statement such as this would have seemed more natural on a budding young artist, rather than a seasoned musician.
The program included Schumann’s Kinderszenen, followed by selections from Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words and, as the centerpiece of the evening, Grieg’s Lyric Pieces. This is what I would call a “Maestro’s program,” one which evokes the last recitals of Horowitz and Rubinstein, favoring deceivingly “easier” pieces over the big war-horses of the piano repertoire. Of course, such a selection is in fact one of the most demanding an artist can put forward, and requires a tremendous amount of depth and an almost magical ability to enthrall and hypnotize an audience. I cannot say that Daniel Gortler has reached yet that level of artistry, but throughout the evening, there were glimpses of a great talent, and of a genuine musician of the kind we sometimes label as “the real thing.”
The Schumann cycle was, in my opinion, the least successful of the evening. In a truly outstanding rendition, these pieces possess a delicate wonderment with which a young child looks at the world; somewhat paradoxically, it is usually the older and very wise performers who are able to capture such purity and simplicity. Mr. Gortler has a beautiful and warm tone, but he tends to complicate the phrasing with a (too) generous use of rubato and a dubious appetite for “discovering” new inner voices which sometimes take over the main melodic line (particularly bothersome in Blind Man’s Bluff and Pleading Child). In the first, iconic movement, Of Foreign Lands and Peoples, the accompaniment occasionally drowned the melody and the result was fussy and lacking simplicity. The bombastic arm movements made An Important Event perhaps a tad too important. Still, the pianist found beautiful colors in Dreaming and Child Falling Asleep. Some of the crescendos grew too abruptly and led to banging, such as in Knight of the Hobby-Horse. The last piece, the almost metaphysical The Poet Speaks, presented some interesting colors but failed to raise above notes, phrases, and dynamics.
With the selection of twelve Songs Without Words, Mr. Gortler seemed to warm up, both technically and musically. His wonderful articulation was evident in several of the pieces and it was clear that he connects on an emotional level with these works. In the Venetian Gondola Song he pulled us into a magical world of sound and imagery and Op. 85, No.3, was imbued with genuine urgency and a winged feeling! In the Duetto Op. 38,No.6, Mr. Gortler found just the right individuality for each partner of the conversation. With the fiery Op. 62, No.2, the pianist reached a passionate finale which, in spite of some inaccuracies, was beautifully voiced and gracefully soaring.
Although Daniel Gortler has recorded all the pieces presented on this program, at some point or another, it was clear that the Lyric Pieces by Grieg were the freshest and sharpest in his fingers. I found his interpretations refreshingly spontaneous, unaffected, and beautifully poetic. In Arietta we were treated to the touch of a true master, and the famous March of the Dwarfs revealed an intoxicating sense of humor and excellent dramaturgical sense. In the beautiful Melody Op. 47, No.3, the pianist found some of the simplicity and magic that eluded him in the Schumann cycle. In Butterflies he created a compelling visual, basking in light and shadow. Mr. Gortler was at his very best in At the Cradle, where he found a tenderness and warmth that are seldomly heard in live performances; he worked with a wide palette of colors and conjured quite a bit of magic. I was very impressed by his sensitivity to harmonic changes, as displayed in Solitary Traveller, and – although marred by some imperfections – he truly made the Brooklet come alive in a vivid tableau. With Summer’s Eve, Mr. Gortler evoked an almost olfactory experience, reminiscent of some of Debussy’s Preludes. Puck was suitably playful, and the final piece on the program, Notturno Op. 54, No.4, was a fitting finale to an evening of sound poetry (the short Schumann encore not withstanding).
