Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Artist Series presents Renaissance Duo: Tzu-Yi Zoe Chen and Lan-In Winnie Yang in Review
Tzu-Yi Zoe Chen and Lan-In Winnie Yang, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
April 12, 2019
Though April showers came our way, they brought a piano duo, and boy could they play! The Renaissance Duo, consisting of duo-pianists Tzu-Yi Zoe Chen and Lan-In Winnie Yang (who is also a composer), presented as a part of the Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Artist series, brought a powerhouse program to Weill Hall on April 12, 2019. I recall fondly Tzu-Yi’s Weill Hall solo debut recital from October 11, 2014, reviewed in these pages (Tzu-Yi Chen in Review). At that recital, she played a suite by Lan-In, so to hear the two of them working together was almost foretold, but I had no idea it would be as delightful as it was.
Their unanimity of ensemble, scrupulous attention to phrasing, generous flexibility (so hard for two to achieve together), and their budgeting of dynamics all contributed to the fine impression they made. The two alternated which one played the Primo and Secondo parts throughout the evening, yet I was never thinking about the mechanics of ensemble playing with these two. The overarching theme of this generous program was transcription, the way composers repurpose existing material, whether by them or by someone else.
The concert opened with Busoni’s Duettino concertante nach Mozart, based on the perky Finale of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in F, K. 459. One usually does not think “-ino” when Busoni’s music is the topic, but here the dimensions of the piece (only six minutes) justifies it, even though the conception and working-out are grand. The duo managed to preserve the lightness of the original composer, yet when Busoni begins to go off in his complex contrapuntal direction, they responded without gross thickening of the texture. It sounded as if Mozart had lived another 100 years, this is the piece he would have written.
The other work on the first half was the Brahms Sonata in F minor, Op. 34b, the third reworking of a piece that eventually became the Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34. Brahms was a relentless self-criticizer and reviser. The duo’s seriousness of approach, and ability to handle masses of sound was greatly appreciated by me, as was their attention to soft lyrical playing. It is indeed thrilling to see two Steinway concert grands on stage, to know what they are capable of, and yet to hear them whisper together. This was a majestic, passionate, and warm performance, and they managed a minor miracle: I didn’t miss the string parts (!).
After intermission, the tone became decidedly lighter, beginning with a new version of the Finale from Ms. Lan-In’s recently commissioned Piano Concerto, “Sketches of Taiwan” (2014), an affectionate programmatic portrayal of the bustle of life in the island, specifically Taipei, I would imagine. The piece alternates fast material, with influences of Prokofiev, and lyrical material that hearkens to Rachmaninoff, even Khatachurian a bit. That I mention other composers is not a slam, I’m sure Ma. Lan-In’s music will show even more individuality as she matures. Her craft is wonderful, however, and the duo really opened up through the showier portions.
This was followed by William Bolcom’s humorous take on the Garden of Eden and the expulsion of Adam and Eve in a suite (originally for solo piano) of four modern ragtime dances. After Joplin, Bolcom really is the preeminent composer of rags. I found myself marveling at how stylish the women rendered each and every corner of the “cool” music, with such enjoyment and wit. The audience reacted with delight, especially in The Serpent’s Kiss, which is full of foot stomping, wood tapping, clucking, and whistling, none of which is easy to do in the context of also having to play the piano!
The recital concluded with a stunning performance of the fierce Lutoslawski Variations on a Theme by Paganini, the theme from the violin Caprice in A minor that so fascinated Liszt, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff, among others. It is an encyclopedia of technical difficulties, yet time and again the duo gave me the leisure to enjoy just how much “music” there is in the piece, which was only possible because of their sovereign command of their parts.
The audience would not let them go, so they reformulated to one piano, four-hands for two unannounced encores. The first was a zany thing in polka rhythm that I did not know, and the second was a hair-raising, hysterically good version of the Sabre Dance from Khatchaturian’s ballet Gayaneh. The loudest sounds of the entire evening took place (completely appropriate) in this work, and Ms.Tzu-Yi got up and switched places with her partner to play the last zinger bass note (she had been on the upper part).
