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Pianist Liam Kaplan in Review

Liam Kaplan, piano

Mannes College, The New School for Music, New York

September 28, 2013

Liam Kaplan

Bach-on-the-piano activism is not the eyebrow raiser it once was. The tenet that J. S. Bach’s lifetime of keyboard works dealt only marginally with a plinky-hammered, Lilliputian forebear of a concert grand has been superseded, even among retro-fashionable harpsichordists and clavichordists, by the iconic status of the music and the deferential acknowledgment of equal access, if not equal temperament, to all performers who wish to claim it as their own. Now that the activists are at peace, the spotlight has shifted back to its original point, a discussion of the tuning systems which unlocked music forever when Bach composed his eloquent and sprawling “Well-Tempered Clavier.”

Temperament is a deliberate sweetening or souring of ordinarily pure consonances by a keyboard tuner, who distorts certain intervals slightly in order to retain the usable intonation of all twelve different notes in the octave. The choices of notes to mistune would determine the most aesthetically permissible keys through the centuries, but pieces had to stay near the keys related to the sweet notes or the instruments would have to be retuned around new keys. The search for a single operating system which could service all keys at once was so hotly argued that eventually the whole case was settled by the discovery of the twelfth root of the number two, an all-purpose multiplier for each note’s pitch in order to reach that of its northern neighbor, and no one has ever looked back. Meanwhile, on the sly, Bach safeguarded the family heirloom temperament and displayed the sacred formula not as a Wall Street pie chart but as a doodle on the title page of his book, according to the musical cryptographer Bradley Lehman and his supporters. Simple and harmonious, tuned in fifteen minutes, centered around B major, Bach’s Good Temperament distributed the tartness little by little en route to the brighter keys, stressing the recognized Affekt or emotion inherent to each of the twelve major and twelve minor tonalities. (Modern expense prohibits the use of Bach’s temperament in a usual recital setting.) The live demonstration in 1722, a prelude and fugue played in every one of twenty-four keys, landed Bach a teaching job in Leipzig and a demand for a spin-off collection of twenty-four even more complicated preludes and fugues. Chopin liked to warm up with them.

Fifteen-year-old Liam Kaplan is the latest candidate to have traversed Book One of “Das Wohltemperierte Klavier” in a single concert, at the Mannes College on Saturday evening. An unavoidable intermission bisected the majesty of the marathon but refueled the artist’s prodigious memory. Young Mr. Kaplan, a composition and bass student as well as a pianist at Mannes Prep, is finding his adult voice in a milieu rich with possibility. His inborn gifts of Swiss-watch rhythmic pulse, polyphonic lightness, and formal proportion were obvious from the start. Mr. Kaplan hears like a composer, albeit a rare composer who tells time and who communicates motives as well as harmony. He relishes excursions and surprises, layered balances, extended sequences and coda sections. Many of his performances could be lifted directly into a music history survey with complete satisfaction. Mr. Kaplan draws the listener into his world, a place of discipline and dignity, of sunny and attainable ideals. Although he seems as yet untouched by sorrow or even the theatrical portrayal of darkness, suspended in his refined atmosphere of feathery pointillism and trotting tempos, Mr. Kaplan is eminently likable. Some questions ensue if we fall captive to the cerebral perfection of his fugues in C-sharp minor or A major, or the expertly tailored articulation of his whirlwind preludes in G major and frothy B-flat: at the end of the day, Mr. Kaplan prefers to coax only a mezzo-piano out of a nine-foot Steinway. He seems not to need power or tragedy, to distinguish a poignant tonality from a soothing one, or to play a piano like an organ. He spreads chords ahead of their beats and crushes his leaning grace notes without spice. He is humble and happy not to show off.

Time will tell, of course. To evince such an abundance of fundamental musicianship at fifteen is no small feat. The self-control in Mr. Kaplan’s work is a proven predictor of success and a quality that few performing artists can hang on a shingle. In comparison with the rowdy boys in Bach’s charge at the St. Thomas School in Leipzig (some of whom burned mice over a candle and left them as trophies for the professor), Liam Kaplan might have made Bach a very proud mentor.

by Emily White for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

I-Bei Lin CD in review

I-Bei Lin, cello; Jonathan Korth, piano

Mae Zenke Orvis Auditorium, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI

April 18, 2011

I-Bei Lin Cellist

Cellist I-Bei Lin has an impressive performance history, having given recitals throughout the world, including New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan, much of Europe, and the United States. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University. She is currently an Associate Professor of Cello and Chair of Strings at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.

This review is of an unedited, live recording of a recital from April 18, 2011, featuring works by Beethoven, Donald Reid Womack, Debussy, and Gregor Piatigorsky. In the spirit of the “live” performance, I made the decision not to listen to the recording numerous times, but to imagine I was in attendance. I believe that this is the most objective approach.

The recital opened with the Sonata for Pianoforte and Cello, Op. 102, No.1, of Ludwig van Beethoven. This work belongs to the beginning of Beethoven’s late period. It is complex and unconventional in form. Dr. Lin played with confidence, indicating her mature grasp of Beethoven’s visionary ideas. The Adagio was especially praiseworthy in its pacing and sustained intensity. It was an auspicious beginning.

fff, composed in 2011 especially for Dr. Lin and pianist Jonathan Korth by Donald Reid Womack (b. 1966), followed the Beethoven. One might be excused for expecting that the title referred to the dynamic marking fortississimo and that a very loud piece was to ensue; the title, however, refers to its three pieces (falling, floating, flying) played without pause. Womack writes, “they are bound by a common theme of groundlessness, of having air between oneself and the earth”. These pieces conveyed their respective titles in a highly effective way that capitalized on Dr. Lin’s considerable talents, including a fluid technique and wide range of expressive timbres (Womack had previously written a solo piece for Dr. Lin in 2005 titled Scherzophrenic). The end result was a mesmerizing performance from both Dr. Lin and Mr. Korth.

The Cello Sonata of Claude Debussy closed the first half. This work, written in 1915, is one of the staples of the cello repertoire and deservedly so. French cellist Louis Rosoor (incorrectly cited as Louis Rosser in the program notes) claimed Debussy told him that thematic material from the sonata was related to dramatic characters, but Debussy denied this. Rosoor’s version is plausible, as this work is extremely mercurial, with sudden outbursts and mood changes throughout. Not only must the performer deal with the stylistic difficulties, but also overcome the myriad technical demands as well. To use a popular expression, Dr. Lin “nailed it!” in a highly nuanced performance.

The second half opened with a set of Taiwanese Folk Songs, which served a dual purpose. The most obvious was that Dr. Lin was honoring the music of her native Taiwan, but the second was the idea of bringing the audience back down to earth after the atmospheric fff and the emotional roller coaster of the Debussy. These pieces were played by Dr. Lin in a sincere and unpretentious manner.

Paganini’s 24^th caprice for violin has been the basis for brilliant variations by many great composers. Piano works by Liszt, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff readily come to mind, but why should pianists have all the fun? The legendary cellist Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) decided to write a set of variations on this caprice that allowed him to showcase his justly renowned technical prowess to the hilt. Dr. Lin took up the challenge of Piatigorsky’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini to end the recital. Taking a page from Edward Elgar, Piatigorsky wrote fourteen variations as musical portraits of famous friends. They are, in order, Pablo Casals, Paul Hindemith, Raya Garbousova, Erica Morini, Felix Salmond, Joseph Szigeti, Yehudi Menuhin, Nathan Milstein, Fritz Kreisler, Gregor Piatigorsky, Gaspar Cassado, Mischa Elman, Ennio Bolognini, Jascha Heifetz, and Vladimir Horowitz. The variations are often witty, but many take the form of inside jokes, as it is not always readily apparent how each variation connects to its named inspirations (for example, the Hindemith variation sounds nothing like Hindemith the composer). This is a virtuoso work that projects much better live than in recordings, as the visual aspect is an integral part of the experience. In any case, it is a highly pleasurable tour-de-force for the cellist. Dr. Lin tossed off the challenges with ease in a confident performance. The rousing finish ended the concert in style and the audience reacted with loud applause.

I must commend excellent pianist Jonathan Korth as an outstanding collaborator to Dr. Lin, ever sensitive to balance issues and flexible to the cellist’s every impulse.

In 2005, the late Edith Eisler wrote in the pages of this journal that Dr. Lin “is a very fine cellist.” In 2013, I must tip my hat to her and wholeheartedly agree with her assessment. Dr. Lin is a fine cellist, equally at home in wide-ranging styles and possessing the technique to make it all seem so easy.

by Jeffrey Williams for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Hyojung Huh CD in Review

Hyojung Huh, piano

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y.

March 13, 2013

Hyojung Huh ,Pianist

Korean pianist Hyojung Huh gave a debut in New York this Spring that introduced not only herself as a performer, but also, in the second half, the ten-movement, forty-five-minute Chorale Fantasy of contemporary Korean composer, Shinuh Lee, entitled “Comfort, comfort my people.” While I missed the concert itself, I was assigned to review an unedited CD of it and found much to admire. While CD recordings almost inevitably miss the energy of a live performance itself, they do enable the multiple hearings one usually needs with new works. Ms. Huh holds an impressive array of degrees as a pianist, including B.M. and M.M. from Seoul National University, M.M. from Westminster Choir College, and P.D. (Performer Diploma) from Indiana University-Bloomington, in addition to an imminent D.M.A. from the University of Wisconsin where she is a doctoral candidate; in addition, though, Ms. Huh has earned degrees in aesthetics, sacred music, and choral conducting, all of which seem to make her a natural fit for the New York Premiere of Ms. Lee’s imposing, Biblically-inspired Chorale Fantasy. Drawn by musical and theological interests (having already done Masters studies on Messiaen in relation to Catholic ontology, liturgy and Biblical language), Ms. Huh is currently working on a dissertation offering a metaphysical and theological perspective on the Shinuh Lee composition performed in this recital, a work which does bear some kinship with works of Messiaen himself. So, rarely will one see a confluence of such well-matched forces – the pianist, the composer, and the central inspiration of the work all in perfect synch.

Hyojung Huh ,Pianist

In laic terms, the work is an intensely dramatic one, alternating evocations of fire and brimstone with those of ethereal peace, created brilliantly by Ms. Lee and conveyed sympathetically and passionately by Ms. Huh. The first movement is entitled “A brimful living chalice of despair and horror and astonishment.” The movement lived up to its title. Vivid in its thunderous and dissonant virtuoso writing, it alternated bass chants against smoldering trills and tremolos with nightmarishly unrelenting rhythms that were sometimes reminiscent of Ligeti’s “L’escalier du diable” to this listener. Comparisons are for expedience – not to suggest that the work is derivative – so I’ll also be forgiven for comparing some of Ms. Lee’s stomping martial accompaniments to Prokofiev’s “Montagues and Capulets” in their savagery. The overall effect was harrowing. Sheer terror yielded wonderfully in the second movement to a feeling of post-apocalyptic quiet. Entitled “Lord Have Mercy”, this prayerfully simple A-flat major Chorale (towards the end reappearing in A major) developed over a pulsating pedal point into a Brahmsian meditation that might make a jaded listener flinch at such sweetness, were it not in juxtaposition to the ferocious first movement. Ms. Huh also gave it a pacing which prevented any feeling of glibness. Limitless emotional range, here and in the rest of the work, was matched by an arsenal of several centuries of musical techniques and styles, from early chant, to Bach, through the moderns (even hints of Einojuhani Rautavaara), all integrated organically. The work is quite a journey, and Ms. Huh was up to the task of guiding us through it – performing from memory, no less! Undoubtedly she will bring this work to many venues. Some choices in text will be challenging and controversial to many – and they frankly could prevent widespread acceptance of it – but the music itself could be imagined to depict numerous stirring but more widely applicable Bible verses, should changes be made at some point. Universal acceptance, however, does not appear to be the goal here. Remaining open-minded about new music can be one of the big challenges in reviewing, but the same applies to new interpretations of “old” music, which one also encountered in this recital. Ms. Huh’s first half, consisting of the oft-heard “Jeux D’eau” of Ravel and ubiquitous Symphonic Etudes of Schumann, was unconventionally played. Jeux d’eau (translated sometimes as “Fountains” or “Playings of Water”) was not the sort of sweeping, watery interpretation to which I’m accustomed. My first reaction was that it needed more flow, flexibility, and the qualities that one associates with water; instead, this performance struck one as a bit stolid, on the slow side, and rather careful; on rethinking it, however, Ms. Huh’s was an interpretation that may have simply been focused more on the individual droplets, each in imagined crystalline perfection. Having not heard the concert live, but catching the tonal beauty of individual notes nonetheless, I’m inclined to give the performer the benefit of the doubt! Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes similarly seemed overly cautious. In this case, due to some weak spots where tempi fluctuated and some messiness ensued, one imagines that there is simply a need to live with the piece longer. The additional Posthumous Etudes (Nos. II and V) were much appreciated, as they are often omitted, but suffice it to say that the Shinuh Lee work will be what is best remembered of this recital. That is no small achievement.

by Rorianne Schrade for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Yumi Suehiro, Pianist in Review

Yumi Suehiro, piano

“Chromatic Journey”

Tenri Cultural Institute, New York, NY

June 15, 2013

Yumi Suehiro, pianist

In a recital entitled “Chromatic Journey,” pianist Yumi Suehiro presented a program that was challenging to both performer and listener. It featured Scriabin’s White Mass Sonata, Ligeti’s Autumn in Warsaw Etude, and the New York premiere of Football in Marja by American composer Alex Burtzos (b. 1985).

Opening with J. S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in B-flat minor from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book Two, Ms. Suehiro showed straight away that she has her own ideas about the style and approach to this work. Perhaps her marimba experience helped shape these ideas, but whatever the case there was an overall percussive quality to her approach. Aaron Copland’s Passacaglia followed. Written in 1922 and dedicated to his teacher, Nadia Boulanger, this work was born of her insistence that her students “master traditional forms.” Featuring an eight-measure theme with eight variations, this work reflects Copland’s mastery of form, and it was given a well-conceived and taut performance, Ms. Suehiro built the intensity until it exploded in the last two variations. Football in Marja, written in 2011, is a musical portrait of Marja, a town in Afghanistan. The “football” is, of course, soccer, and is represented musically by hyper-energetic tritone motifs. The difficulties of everyday life are depicted with cluster chords. Ms. Suehiro championed this work with passionate commitment. With driving energy in the motoric sections, cascades of jagged clusters, and the final blast of sound, it was riveting from start to finish. Mr. Burtzos was in attendance and was obviously very pleased with Ms. Suehiro’s performance, as one would expect. The half ended with Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, Op. 20 by Béla Bartók, an eight-movement work characterized by thorny, angry motifs and driving rhythms throughout. While the seventh movement is dedicated to the memory of Debussy, there is nothing remotely Debussyian about any of this work. It has moments of lyricism, but it is not an easy piece for audiences to warm up to. Ms. Suehiro played these variations with an aggressiveness that at times bordered on the savage, but also brought out some of the more lyrical elements with sensitivity. It was an intriguing, if not fully satisfying, performance.

After a short intermission, Ms. Suehiro offered Alexander Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 64, the White Mass. Composed in 1911, this highly chromatic work walks the tightrope between tonality and atonality throughout. It was composed as an “exorcism” against the darkness of the Piano Sonata No. 6, Op. 62, which Scriabin believed to be fraught by demonic forces. He subtitled the work White Mass to signify the clearing of the darkness. Ms. Suehiro took the listener on a twelve-minute journey packed with moments of harrowing terror, beauty, and heaven storming. It was a journey I was glad to go on, in what was the highlight of the evening. Etude No. 6, Book 1 –Autumn in Warsaw from György Ligeti ended the recital. Ms. Suehiro remarked that she finds this work “funky and groovy” and a “weird and interesting piece.” It was the first time I had ever heard Ligeti referred to as funky and groovy and I admit it made me smile. In any case, this is one of Ligeti’s more accessible works, and Ms. Suehiro played it with polish. The audience rewarded Ms. Suehiro with a standing ovation. After all the thorns, it was time for a rose, which came in the form of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in D major, Op. 23 No. 4, which Ms. Suehiro played as a encore with grace and sensitivity.

The evening left me with some reservations. First, the venue’s acoustics are not ideal. Even though the piano was on the half-stick, the volume was at times oppressively loud. Ms. Suehiro’s bold “all-in” approach would have been ideal for a larger venue, but not this one. I assume that Ms. Suehiro became oblivious to this issue in the heat of the moment; otherwise, I believe that she, being the intelligent and deeply committed musician that she is, would have made adjustments. Second, it might have been beneficial for Ms. Suehiro to offer some sonic relief; though the unifying theme was explicitly one of chromaticism, the “journey” would have benefited from more contrast. Third, although some would say this is nitpicking, the artist’s name was misspelled on the cover of the program, and there were factual errors in the program notes as well. Considering Ms. Suehiro’s careful attention to musical details, I was disappointed that these errors were not caught in the proofs.

Yumi Suehiro is an intense musician, one who invests every ounce of her energy, passion, and intellect into her performances. She should have a promising future.

by Jeffrey Williams for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition for Young Pianists in Review

3rd Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition for Young Pianists: Gala Winners Concert

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York, N.Y.

June 9, 2013

Music competitions, amid all the flak they receive, offer some undeniable boosts to young performers needing experience and exposure; beyond that, though, they expand musical audiences to include listeners drawn by the more sporting aspects of musical performance. There may be no better example than the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, which has just concluded amid passionate Tweeting and arguing over favorites. On the heels of this spectacular event is a specialized contest in New York for the junior circuit (up to age nineteen) that may be a similar launching pad (albeit on a smaller scale) for some future stars. The Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition for Young Pianists honors the late great Bach interpreter by encouraging talented young pianists to explore the many different categories of Bach’s works (from the contest’s Category One’s Short Preludes and Fugues through Category Eight’s Goldberg Variations), and also those of contemporary composers, as Rosalyn Tureck was known to promote. Interestingly enough, this time it counted on its illustrious jury two prior Van Cliburn First Prize winners, Alexander Kobrin and André-Michel Schub – as well as Jeffrey Swann, Michael Charry, Sharon Isbin, John McCarthy, Zelma Bodzin, Max Wilcox, and Golda Vainberg-Tatz (the competition’s Director and Founder). Enjoying in addition the patronage of one of the world’s finest pianists, Evgeny Kissin, the Tureck International Bach Competition seems destined to gain prestige and continue drawing superb talents from far and wide.

Performers with the highest honors received “The Rosalyn Tureck Award” for their category, but there were also many Honorable Mention recipients who performed. One of the youngest winners, Neng Leong (age seven), kicked off the recital with Bach’s Fantasy in C minor, BWV 906 (all works in this review henceforth assumed to be by J. S. Bach unless otherwise specified). Young Ms. Leong’s mature and self-assured rendition was in stark contrast with her small stature and the sight of small feet dangling, unable to reach the floor. Similarly Mingzi Yan (age eight) played the Fugue in C minor, BWV 961 with remarkable solidity and polish; she will undoubtedly find increased tonal variety with time. Connor Ki-Hyun Sung (another seven-year-old) contributed a commendable performance of the Invention in G minor, No. 11, BWV 782, followed by Liam Kaplan (age fifteen) playing the Invention in A Major, No. 12, BWV 783, with musical fluency and ease. The complexity of works generally increased, and the Prelude and Fugue in F minor, WTC I, BWV 857, was programmed next, played by Li Mengyuan (age thirteen). It was well polished, with thorough attention to imitative entries. One was reminded at this point how much good teaching undoubtedly went into each performance.

Movements from the suites brought more elements of Baroque dance into the mix, starting with Yali Levy Schwartz (age nine) playing the Allemande, Gavotte, and Gigue from the French Suite No. 6 in E Major, BWV 817. She showed extraordinary poise and control for one so young. Next, Fiona Wu (age nineteen) brought complete mastery of contrapuntal detail to movements from the Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830. Her unassuming, almost self-effacing entry onto the stage belied her intense immersion in its Toccata, Sarabande, and Gigue. Another lively Toccata, the D Major, BWV 912, came to life in the hands of Victoria Young (age thirteen). Refreshingly dancelike in feeling, it swept up both listener and performer (with only tiny glitches, which were masterfully overcome). Huan Li (age fifteen) was impressive in the Sinfonia, Allemande, Rondeau, and Capriccio from the Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826. Here were subtleties of articulation and dynamics, accomplished with fleet-fingered precision even in the Capriccio’s notorious leaps.

Moving on to the Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971, Anson Hui (age fourteen) acquitted himself well, especially in the livelier movements. The gem of a central movement was sensitively played and with continued development will be sure to gain in sustained intensity through its long-breathed phrases. Derek Wang (also fourteen) was declamatory and bold in his Toccata in C minor, BWV 911. One might argue that he tended to overplay in the forte passages, but it certainly was good to hear a robust interpretation (without any kid gloves in the name of historic fidelity); thankfully, he reveled in all the extremes, so his softer passages were equally engaging.

All contests have their big surprises, and Allison To (age twelve) was one. She proved to be one of the most refined and artistic for her age (or perhaps any age) in her performance of the Aria Variatta alla maniera Italiana, BWV 989. Not only did she win the Rosalyn Tureck Prize in her category (“various works”) but she was also the winner of the Evgeny Kissin Grand Prize Award, in recognition of the performer deemed most promising. This is a young player to watch!

Also outstanding was Athena Georgia Tsianos (age sixteen). While closing the evening with Bach’s English Suite No. 6 in D minor, BWV 811 (Prelude, Sarabande, and Gigue), she also played David McIntyre’s “Butterflies and Bobcats” for which she had won the Prize for the Best Performance of a Contemporary Work. She offered arguably the most exciting performance of the evening in this vibrant composition, and one will eagerly await many further performances from her.

There was no Category 8 winner (for the Goldberg Variations), and the Category 7 winners (Concerti) did not perform. What was programmed, though, was more than enough. Congratulations to all these young artists!

by Rorianne Schrade for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Wael Farouk, pianist in Review

Wael Farouk, piano

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y.

June 1, 2012

Wael Farouk, pianist

Just a year ago, I had the pleasure of hearing (and reviewing) Wael Farouk in one of the best renditions of the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto I’d ever heard, and I could hardly wait to hear him again. The focus in that first hearing had not been his adverse situation as a pianist or, as his biography states, “small stature and an unusual hand condition that prevents him from making a fist or straightening his fingers” (though it was indeed striking to behold his hands’ miraculous maneuvers); what struck one most that evening was his tremendous music making, the kind that defies and transcends any and all challenges. His playing shows a commitment that is profound, and so does his repertoire, which according to his biography includes more than 50 concertos and 60 solo programs (of which he has given Egyptian premieres of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, and Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, and 3).

Mr. Farouk had been scheduled to give his New York recital debut in Weill Hall in November, 2012, but he was forced to reschedule the concert because of Hurricane Sandy. The debut finally materialized seven months later – an annoying amount of time to keep a program on the “back burner” while scheduled also for a 140th Anniversary complete Rachmaninoff cycle – but his devoted following was handsomely rewarded for the wait. There were, as will increasingly be expected, numerous pianists clustered near the stage, gesturing towards their own hands, speaking about sizes and stretches, and watching intently. As one may guess, Mr. Farouk’s magic is not so much about hands as about the inner musician.

Mr. Farouk’s imagination was readily apparent from the very first notes of the Prelude in B-flat Minor, Op. 37, No. 1, by Alexander Scriabin. The gentle, almost glassily rendered melody of his opening announced the presence of a sensitive artist and set the tonal palette well for future building into the next work in the same key, Rachmaninoff’s Sonata No. 2, Op. 36 (the revised version). Here Mr. Farouk shaped his phrases with elegance and an almost cerebral quality that is unusual among the many heart-on-sleeve versions. I must admit I lean towards the heart-on-sleeve interpretations, but it was fascinating to hear so many inner voices featured and such a sense of priority in the architecture. For me, there needed to be more building along the way (especially in top melodic registers) from the very first accelerando of the first movement to the clangorous almost bell-like resonances later on, but disagreements are inevitable, and Mr. Farouk always showed persuasive commitment. Vive la difference – Mr. Farouk will not be without controversy!

To close the half (surprisingly, as one usually sees the Rachmaninoff Op. 36 closing a half), Mr. Farouk gave the U.S. premiere of “To Our Revolution’s Martyrs” by leading twentieth-century Egyptian composer Gamal Abdel-Rahiem (1924-1988). In two well-crafted movements, “Elegy” and “Clash” the music spoke of national struggles through a hybrid language of Arab and Western modalities (and outlines of diminished fourths never far). In light of 2011 events, it has an updated political resonance, perhaps the intent in Mr. Farouk’s programming; at any rate, it was particularly interesting simply to hear music of a composer who taught virtually an entire generation of Egyptian composers.

To open the second half, Mr. Farouk gave the World Premiere of “I Colored a Wanted Music I Can Always Hear”- a tonally mild and quasi-impressionistic haiku-inspired composition by Scott Robbins (b. 1964). It was sensitively delivered, and the composer, present to take a bow, beamed with pleasure.

Rachmaninoff’s Prelude Op. 32, No. 5 in G Major made a skillful transition back to the Russian world, specifically to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Here was the absolutely masterful playing of the evening. Mr. Farouk distilled the essence of each feeling and image in Mussorgsky’s phrases and gestures. Each highly contrasting movement was a gem of color and spirit, overflowing with energy and life right up through the final powerful chords. The audience leapt to its feet and was rewarded with three encores, the Gluck-Sgambati Melodie, Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G-sharp minor, Op. 32, No. 12 and the brilliantly played Liszt Paraphrase on Verdi’s Rigoletto. Bravo – and encore! While, nothing has eclipsed the memory of that Rachmaninoff Third Concerto of a year ago, I would still say: run – don’t walk – to hear Wael Farouk!

by Rorianne Schrade for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents: Requiems for the Brave in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents: Requiems for the Brave

Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Principal Conductor; Mark Hayes, Composer/Conductor

Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center; New York, NY

May 27, 2013

Dr. Jonathan Griffith for the Durufle Requiem

On Memorial Day, May 27, 2013, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented a concert entitled “Requiems for the Brave”, dedicated to the men and women of our Armed Forces. With chorus members from Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Canada, and Dubai performing, there was feeling of excitement as the hall filled.

The first half was the Requiem, Op. 9 of French organist, pedagogue, and composer Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) in the original 1947 version. This serene work is largely devoid of the fearsome elements of the requiem mass (i.e. Dies Irae), but uses Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem as a model. Conductor Jonathan Griffith led the large forces in a highly nuanced performance. His patience at the podium as he waited for the stampede of latecomers to find their seats after the Kyrie was commendable, but after almost five minutes, the Domine Jesu Christe was delivered with a boldness that was worth the wait! The Agnus Dei was delivered with tranquil beauty, and the child-like innocence of the In Paradisum, which ended in a whisper, was breathtaking. Baritone soloist Andrew Garland projected strength and confidence. Mezzo-soprano Holly Sorenson was sublime as she captured the essence of the hauntingly beautiful Pie Jesu. The chorus was very good throughout in what was a well-conceived performance.

During the intermission, The Patriot Brass Ensemble entertained the audience with a steady stream of Sousa marches and patriotic tunes from the balcony. As the singers in the chorus for the second half filed onto the stage, the Patriot Brass ended their set with a medley dedicated to the Armed Forces. It was a strong reminder about what Memorial Day is really about to see the servicemen and women stand when their hymn was played. Some were young, others older, but all proud and steadfast. What was said to them through music was simply “thank you for your service to our nation.”

Mr. Mark Hayes for his Requiem & The Gettysburg Address

Mark Hayes (b. 1953) led the second half in performance of his works: the New York premiere of The Gettysburg Address and the World Premiere of his Requiem. About The Gettysburg Address, Mr. Hayes In his program notes writes, “…the challenge of creating something musically profound was overwhelming.” These ten sentences are filled with sadness, hope, challenge, and triumph in what is probably the most famous speech in American History. Mr. Hayes’ conception captures all of these elements, from the bold opening, played with a brash exuberance, to the somber colors of the sorrows of war, to the final build-up in a martial style culminating with repeated declarations of “for the people” from the chorus. It is a powerful work that does justice to Lincoln’s immortal words. After this stirring piece, it was time to pull back into a quieter, contemplative mood, for which the Requiem from Mr. Hayes filled the bill. Dedicated to the memory of Mr. Hayes’ parents, this work takes inspiration from Brahms, Fauré, and Duruflé in its six movements. Mr. Hayes freely uses the English translations of the Latin text in addition to the Latin itself in an interesting and effective way. He parts company with Fauré and Duruflé in a pathos-filled Dies Irae, which did at times bear an uncanny resemblance to O Fortuna from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana (i.e. substitute Dies Irae/Dies Illa and Confutatis maledictis for O Fortuna/Velut Luna, with the same strong timpani replies, etc.). Baritone Andrew Garland was again a force to be reckoned with in his solo work. The Agnus Dei was to this listener the highlight of the work, showing Mr. Hayes expressive melodic gifts. The final movement, the Lux Aeterna, much like the In Paradisum of Duruflé, ends in a fade to silence. When Mr. Hayes lowered his baton, the audience gave him a richly deserved standing ovation, which ended the successful evening.

by Jeffrey Williams for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

New York Concert Artists and Associates: Evenings of Piano Concerti, Season V in Review

New York Concert Artists and Associates: Evenings of Piano Concerti, Season V

Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church, New York, N.Y.

May 24, 2013

New York Concert Artists and Associates continued its fifth season of concerto evenings with four staples of the piano concerto repertoire – the Schumann Concerto, the Saint-Saëns No. 2, and the 3rd and 5th by Beethoven. Combining forces with the NYCA Symphony Orchestra under excellent conductor, Eduard Zilberkant, were four young female pianists, all with impressive lists of accolades and all pursuing a doctorate or having earned one. If one needed an evidence of the difficulty of distinguishing oneself in classical music these days, one would need to look no further than the collective biographies of these young pianists. The proliferation of credentials and increased need for opportunities today underscore the value of NYCA’s mission to promote the next generation’s performers. While this evening was not one of the best in memory by this organization, one did come away thinking that the valuable orchestral experience was bound to enrich and refine the playing of each of the soloists.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous review, there are hazards in presenting so many concerti in one evening, not the least of which is a sense of haste that can beset even the most seasoned performers. There was just such a sense of haste, on this occasion, which seemed to affect all of the performances in some way or other.

Yu Jung Park, began the evening with Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3 in C minor. A work requiring a dark intensity and drama, it also requires a fierce impetus in the opening scales of the first movement; it is easy, though, to go overboard into the realm of rushing, and this seemed to be what happened. What at first was a minor discrepancy of tempo between soloist and orchestra escalated into a generally unsettled feeling that eventually took the movement off the rails. All was recovered expertly, but it is hard to recover completely from the general skittishness that results from such an occurrence. In and out of it all, one appreciated the pianist’s excellent finger work, and where she was alone, for example in the cadenza of the first movement, she seemed to find her comfort zone. It will be a joy to hear this pianist again, because she has much to offer. Her slow movement displayed beautiful sensitivity to harmonic changes, and she finished the work in fine form. She is currently working toward a DMA at Temple University, having already attended Peabody and the Korean National University of Arts. Her wide-ranging musical interests currently include Dutilleux and Liszt transcriptions of Beethoven.

The next performer, Sarah Chan, also has run the gamut credential-wise. She has earned Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Peabody, and Eastman (where she obtained her doctorate), with additional studies at Le Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and at the University of Michigan. She has pursued and extra-musical education at the Sorbonne, Columbia University, and the University of Michigan, and she currently teaches music and French courses at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Her Schumann Concerto had much to admire but also did not seem impervious to the spirit of dispatch that pervaded the evening. Some minor glitches, which appeared in an otherwise exciting performance, could have been avoided with just a bit more breathing room, and some climaxes could have been more potent if achieved through dynamic building rather than acceleration. Inevitably with more performance of this work there will emerge a bit more dovetailing as the lead role is passed from piano to orchestra and back, but it showed plenty of spirit and pianism, ending the first half well.

Perhaps the strongest contribution of the evening in terms of neatness and technical reliability was from Hyojung Huh, in the Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor. Again, listing myriad credentials, including degrees from Seoul National University, Westminster Choir College, Indiana University, and the University of Wisconsin (in subjects including choral conducting and sacred music), she demonstrated a thoroughness and seriousness of approach that carried her from start to brilliant finish. One might have wanted a bit more power to balance the orchestra, less understatement in the first movement’s effusive melodies, and a bit more joie de vivre in the work’s jaunty scherzando movement, but all in all one received the “bang for the buck” that one hopes for in this delightful piece.

The final performer of the evening was Do Haeng Jung in Beethoven’s Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major (the “Emperor”). One appreciated from the start the fact that this performer took considerable time before and during the opening. This piece requires mature pacing, and it received it. It also received a big, full sound that set the tone for the nobility in this piece. Sure enough, there was again the almost obligatory snag in the first movement, but the pianist recovered to regain complete composure in the two next movements. Glancing through Ms. Jung’s biography, one reads that she has degrees from the Seoul National University and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the latter where she is also pursuing her doctorate. What catches one’s eye is the mention of awards in collaborative performance, in addition to the usual solo prizes; indeed, Ms. Jung demonstrated a flexibility which helped hold the performance together and will continue to serve her in good stead as a concerto soloist. She ended the evening with a solid and bravura performance, receiving generous applause that undoubtedly was intended to include the cumulative efforts of the night and the close to a fine NYCA season.

by Rorianne Schrade for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Hee-Youn Choue in Review

Hee-Youn Choue, piano

Merkin Concert Hall, New York, N.Y.

May 21, 2013

As a seven-year music reviewer in New York, I’ve become so spoiled by the bounty of pianistic offerings in the various concert halls that occasionally it is an interesting test to ask myself, “what will I remember of this evening ten years from now?” Occasionally one may remember just the bad weather or the difficult cab ride, but there is no chance of that happening with a recent concert of pianist Hee-Youn Choue, whose final work, Concert Suite from “The Nutcracker” Op.71a (Tchaikovsky, transcribed by Mikhail Pletnev) was not to be forgotten. The pianist displayed in this work some of the most delightful pianism I’ve heard in recent live recital. I’ll especially remember her hummingbird-fast repeated notes in the March, the wonderfully zesty Trepak, and the witty and all too brief Chinese Dance – pieces I’ve heard often enough to want never to hear them again, though here they refreshed, as if new. I’ll remember with a measure of perplexity the sight of the less than full hall – this pianist deserves so much more. Then, with a bit of annoyance I’ll remember a nearby audience member, who apparently did not know about clapping, but saved all her expressions of appreciation for a bus stop cellphone call afterwards – about what an amazing performance her friend had missed! Amazing it was. We can at least hope that if everyone who was there gabs equally, the next recital will be jam-packed.

Ms. Choue has just about everything – technical brilliance, intelligence, poetry, poise, artful programming, and a beautiful stage presence. In addition, she has caught the attention of New York Concert Artists and Associates, under whose auspices she has performed several times. She is gaining momentum and deserves to go far.

Her opening work, Haydn’s Piano Sonata in C Major, Hob.XVI: 50, impressed with its beautifully differentiated articulations. It was delicate and crisp in touch, though thankfully never becoming too precious. The robust spirit of Haydn emerged especially in some of the bolder bass parts (also well suited to this hall’s piano). The last movement pointed up Haydn’s humorous surprises well, and Ms. Choue seemed quite at home stylistically. Minutest reservations arose in the second movement, where improvisatory adornments seemed a bit too glossy and pedaled to feel truly Haydnesque – to me their almost impressionistic sweep obscured the vocal relationship to the main melodies, but of course that is a matter of personal taste.

Schumann’s Fantasiestucke Op.12 followed. All was well thought through and polished, with special highlights being the hearty “Grillen,” and dazzling “Traumes Wirren.” The opening “Des Abends” was beautiful in tone and phrasing, but for my taste started to show too much of the Romantic tendency of left hand-preceding-right hand. That style is one way of wringing the tenderness from the harmonies, but Ms. Choue’s translucent sound, sensitive dynamic gradations, and pedaling (which was at times very generous) could probably achieve the desired effect without such stretching, which occasionally risks sounding mannered.

After Intermission, Chopin’s Nocturne in B Major, Op. 32, No.1, and Scherzo No. 4 in E Major were a beautiful pairing. Clearly Ms. Choue savored the tonal relationship between the two and, by projecting the connection physically, she successfully prevented applause from separating them. The Scherzo was another highlight of the evening, filled with silken streaming passagework and beautifully fluid melodic lines. The Nocturne I enjoyed less, simply wanting more attention to tonal continuity (or was there a voicing inconsistency issue with the piano?) – an anomaly in an otherwise stellar evening.

The Tchaikovsky which followed – I’ll just repeat myself here – was worth the trip all by itself. It should become a signature piece by Ms. Choue, though undoubtedly she will find many of those.

An encore of Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonata in A Major (K. 113, L. 345) brought more of the precise delicacy one heard earlier in the Haydn, capping off the evening perfectly. Brava!

by Rorianne Schrade for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Sergei Kvitko in Review

Sergei Kvitko, piano

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, N.Y.

May 23, 2013

Sergei Kvitko, pianist

The solo piano debut of Sergei Kvitko at Weill Hall was a heartwarming occasion – even a love-fest – for many reasons that became clear throughout the evening. As a bit of background, the Russian-born resident of Lansing, Michigan is no average pianist. Having come to the U.S. to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Michigan State University under the tutelage of Ralph Votapek, he has become a highly successful recording engineer and producer, with accolades for his work from numerous musical reviewers and a loyal following of musicians whom he has helped in their career paths. Beyond this, he is a composer and transcriber, as evidenced by several remarkable contributions on the evening’s program. He gives one hundred percent when he performs, and his energy is inspiring. In addition, he has an engaging personality, full of humor, something that showed in his commentary throughout the evening.

Mr. Kvitko opened with his own original transcription of Bach’s Prelude in C Major (from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book I). The title was listed on the program as “Prelude in C Major with a Few Added Notes.” A few, indeed! Roughly as Charles Gounod had been inspired by this Bach work to add melody above, Mr. Kvitko took things farther, using the Prelude as a bass (entirely played by his left hand) and adding a florid quasi-improvisatory right hand part which built virtuosically to a large climax. I always appreciate new inspirations coming from this beloved piece, and this was a fresh one.

My first reaction to seeing that Kvitko had also programmed his own transcription of Ysaÿe’s Third Sonata for Violin (also known as “Ballade”) was to ask “why?” – because in my opinion the Ysaÿe still could stand a few more decades of hearings as written before it becomes the foundation for a “fresh perspective” transcription. Well, that question was quickly negated by what emerged as a captivating expansion upon the original. Starting off with a note-for-note statement taken from the violin work, Kvitko continued the original but with fleshed-out and reinforced harmonizations, octave doublings, and in general heightened drama via his own elaborations. Rather than obscuring Ysaÿe’s work, the transcription became an elucidation of it. I must confess to understanding the original better than I had before – and how great it was to hear it without any intonation problems! Just as each of the Ysaÿe Sonatas was dedicated to a great violinist (this one originally to Enescu) Mr. Kvitko dedicated this transcription to “the most important violinist” in his life, his mother. It was a special moment.

Another question “why?” might be elicited by the engagement of dancers for the Escenas Románticas by Granados, because those of us spoiled by the suave elegance of, say, Alicia De Larrocha’s renditions of these solo pieces may feel that the music says more than enough without visual distraction; Mr. Kvitko, however, clearly thinks outside such boxes. It also may even be silly to ask “why” when creative spirits such as he simply DO – a quality for which we may usually be thankful!

Kvitko’s interpretation was an expansive one, even if not as nuanced as I’d like. His playing maximized the drama, as the whole ballet concept encouraged it to do. The dancers, Lucas Segovia and Kara Zimmerman of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, offered what amounted to a half-ballet and half-pantomime creation of various scenes of love, including the first glance, the rebuff, the seduction, the celebration, and finally the settling of passions into lasting love. Some of the earlier pantomiming (including props of newspaper, chairs, and flowers), while charming, seemed to undermine the intimacy that I treasure in this musical set, but the last movement, the heartfelt and Chopinesque Epilogo, was quite moving. It was also interesting to behold dancers at Weill Hall, something I’ve not experienced before.

The second half opened with the pianist’s own transcription of Trepak from Mussorgsky’s “Songs and Dances of Death” (dedicated to the composer Ricky Ian Gordon, who was present). It was another miniature one would hear nowhere else, to me an asset to any recital. In the story behind the music, the protagonist dies, so the music was that of tragedy – or as Kvitko wryly introduced it, “it’s Russian.” It was well transcribed and performed, and a good introduction to the rest of the program.

The substance of the second half was Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (the pictures being a nice parallel to the “Escenas” aspect of the first half). It is a work that Mr. Kvitko has recorded, to very favorable critical response. This evening’s performance was an “over the top” one, with almost unremitting massive and prolonged fortes, a test to the pianist’s staying power. Even the Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks was larger than life, raising concerns about how the Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba-Yaga) would top it – but as it turned out, Mr. Kvitko had more than enough stamina to follow the genetically modified chicks with steroidal hens! Where some wonderful piano dynamics did impress was in the end of “Bydlo” where one could imagine cattle carts disappearing into the distance: the fadeout was so well paced in fine gradations that one guessed that such a conception might have been helped by Mr. Kvitko’s experience with the wonders of audio technology. To hear that effect transferred to a perfect extended diminuendo on the piano was a treat. One can be confident that Mr. Kvitko has more of such treats in store, in whatever pursuits he undertakes, whether in producing, composing, or performing.

The end of the Great Gate of Kiev was met with rousing applause, bravos, and a standing ovation. Encores included another ballet performance (to a Piazzollaesque piano work) and a lightning-fast Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum by Debussy.

Piano Transcription of Solo Violin Sonata No. 3 “Ballade”

http://youtu.be/L5cumr1a32Q

Pianist Sergei Kvitko with Lucas Segovia & Kara Zimmerman of Joffrey Ballet of Chicago perform last movement of Enrique Granados’ Escenas Románticas – Epílogo.
Filmed live at Cook Recital Hall of College of Music, Michigan State University.

http://youtu.be/GJ64-aaqQRU

by Rorianne Schrade for New York Concert Review; New York, NY