Stanislav Khristenko, Piano

Stanislav Khristenko, piano
October 15, 2009
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

Stanislav Khristenko, a Ukrainian pianist and first prize winner of the Virginia Waring international piano competition, made his New York recital debut recently in a thoughtful, focused, and ultimately successful concert at Weill Recital Hall.  The pianist revealed deep reserves of artistry and professionalism as the evening progressed, saving his most incisive and colorful playing for the program-ender, five short pieces by Prokofiev.

There was an unusual sense of risk in the pianist’s choice of the Shostakovich first sonata, op. 12 to begin the program. As Mr. Khristenko was acclimatizing himself to his instrument and the hall during this sonata, he did not make a thoroughly convincing argument for this work’s value.  His talent and technique were in evidence immediately, but he pushed the tempo and over pedaled in scale passages where more clarity would have been appreciated.  While I respect the challenge, this composition would be easier to play and hear in a later spot on the program.

In Schubert’s Sonata, d. 958, the pianist again took time to find the right approach to this work, both technically and interpretively.  The Steinway at Weill hall is weak in the middle register, and I could hear Mr. Khristenko struggling to produce a singing tone in the first movement without forcing the sound.  His voicing was bass heavy initially and his rubato a little stiff until he hit his stride in the final two movements.  Most especially, the tarantella was a delight–alive rhythmically, yet relaxed, sounding simultaneously Schubertian and Italianate.

By the second movement of the Schumann C Major Fantasy, which began the second half, Mr. Khristenko was in full control of all his resources and played with a maturity that belied his young age.  The performance was organic from beginning to end, and one of the best I have heard of this difficult work.  With the briefest of pauses, the pianist then launched headlong into the Prokofiev.

In these five excerpts from ten pieces, op. 12, Mr. Khristenko was completely in his métier.  Each selection sparkled like a gem, honed to perfection.  These would have been impressive performances from any artist, but they were all the more joyful from a pianist at the outset of his career.

Mr. Khristenko has the poise and intellect of a seasoned performer.  Despite the fact that all his programming choices were not ideally suited to his temperament, I applaud his appetite for adventure and discovery.

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by David La Marche  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Cornerstone Chorale and Brass

Cornerstone Chorale and Brass
“The Courage to Care”
Created by Bruce Vantine
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
October 11, 2009

I’ve never encountered anything quite like “The Courage to Care,” the program presented by Bruce Vantine’s Cornerstone Chorale and Brass.  Part church service, part passion play, part concert, this program assumes a unique form in which Mr. Vantine attempts to carry out his stated mission “to use our time, talents and resources to minister to our brothers and sisters in need.” 

On hand were a brass quintet, a pianist, a percussionist, two narrators, a chorus of twenty one and the conductor-composer-creator, Dr. Bruce Vantine.  The performance ran without intermission and the audience was instructed to withhold applause until the end. The program was divided into five large sections entitled “By your will created,” “Called to serve all people,” “The courage to care,” “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,” and “Be not afraid.” We were provided with an eleven page program which contained the words of the narrators and of the choral selections, and I am happy to report that the lights in the audience were sufficiently bright that one could read the program with ease. This was especially helpful during the two hymns, which were audience sing-alongs.  At other times it was hardly necessary, as the diction of the narrators and singers was exemplary.

Their fine diction was not the only way in which the Chorale excelled.  Throughout the program they sang with beautiful sound, excellent intonation, and sincerity of intention. The several solos performed by chorus members were all well executed.  Standing front and center, attractively clad in red, black and white, and singing everything by memory, they were the stars of the show.  Equally skilled, however, was the brass quintet. During one of the most poignant moments of the “God so loved, etc.” section we were treated to a performance of one of music’s most beautiful pieces; the Adagio from Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8 (“Pathetique.”)  Here Mr. Vantine’s message seemed to be that during times of greatest emotion, when words fail, music speaks.

This listener would have enjoyed the program more had there been fewer Christological exhortations throughout. To those of us who are not of the Christian faith, a program such as this can seem presumptuous and even distasteful.  However, I was probably the only non-believer in the hall, and I can report that the rest of the audience loved it, as they demonstrated with a standing ovation at the end.

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by Barrett Cobb  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Ensemble du Monde

Ensemble du Monde
Marlon Daniel, conductor
Merkin Concert Hall, New York, NY
August 13, 2009

On August 13th at Merkin Hall, conductor Marlon Daniel and his “Ensemble du Monde” performed Beethoven’s third, fourth and fifth piano concerti. I heard through the grapevine that all five concerti were originally planned. That would have provided more contrast because the first two concertos (especially the second in B-flat) are lighter than the final three, which—when heard together—tend to overdose us with Beethoven’s middle-period drama and heftiness of orchestration. In other words, if you’re going to do several Beethoven Piano Concertos, do the second, first (in correct composing order) and third on one program, and the fourth and fifth on another.

The fine pianist in the third concerto, Richard Dowling, played very well. He occasionally tossed off a bland phrase or two, but that may be my own predisposition to preferring dramatic “Sturm und Drang” performances of this C Minor composition. In the fourth concerto, Kimball Gallagher played with a pleasant tone throughout (although I thought the opening solo phrase was too loud). Sometimes, she needed more invention of shading and dynamics in this work’s tender more tender passages. It was enjoyable nonetheless.

The pianist in the “Emperor” Concerto, Beatrice Long, has a bravura temperament and technique suitable for this large-scale, heroic work, and she displayed musical excellence by bringing out nuances and important harmonic changes in the score. Her phrasing showed admirable shape and contrast; when, for example, a scale passage ascended, there was a slight crescendo to show the direction of the musical line, and vice versa with descending phrases. I wish she had taken the Adagio un poco mosso movement slower; Adagio un poco mosso, after all, means slow with a little forward movement. It should not sound like a Beethoven Andante, which translates to a walking, moderate pace.

Conductor Marlon Daniel has talent and great energy. He does need to watch his concentration; in the Largo of the third concerto, he gave a cue two bars too soon (luckily, the orchestra didn’t come in), and there were some shaky entrances and small lapses of ensemble. I recommend that he keep the volume of the trumpets and timpani down at Merkin Hall, as there was consistent blaring in the concerti’s outer movements.  Still, Daniel and his orchestra have potential, and I would like to hear them again.

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by Anthony Aibel  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Alexander Beridze, Piano

Alexander Beridze, piano
New York Piano Festival,
Bechstein Centre, New York, NY
June 14, 2009

As the finale of the New York Piano Festival, Alexander Beridze, founder and artistic director of the budding series, performed his own demanding solo recital. Not surprisingly, he is up to the task of wearing numerous hats, having earned degrees in both journalism (Tbilisi State University) and music (Tbilisi State Conservatory and Mannes). He is currently working towards his doctorate from Rutgers, while maintaining teaching, administrative and performing lives. Counting Vladimir Feltsman and John O’Conor among his teachers, he has won several competitions and has performed both in the U.S. and in his native Georgia.

Opening with Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 7, Mr. Beridze impressed with his laser-sharp focus, each phrase honed with intelligence.  This opus (one of this reviewer’s favorites) has subtleties that require perhaps more mature mastery than some of the sonatas heard more frequently, and in Beridze’s hands it projected as the great work that it is. He sustained intensity throughout, and, while one might have wanted more breathing at some points, it was admirable that he could keep it feeling “charged,” especially in such a casual venue.

Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit followed a drastic change of tonal worlds, well handled.

Ondine was awash in color and excellent overall, even if occasionally the melodic glimmers felt overwhelmed by the brilliant splashes. Le Gibet benefited from Mr. Beridze’s knack for shifting the spotlight from one voice to another, and Scarbo was brilliant, although not quite “over the top” with nightmarish surges as it can be (and as this listener likes).

Brahms Sonata Op. 1 in C Major suited this pianist well. High points were a heavenly close to the second movement and some almost swashbuckling moments in the third movement. The fourth movement was a bit hectic for this listener, but exciting nonetheless.

Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka, which finished the program, showed much more of the electricity that would have further enlivened Scarbo, with bright, vibrant contrasts and an imaginative dramatic sense. After what has amounted to an epidemic of Petrushka this spring, Mr. Beridze’s emerged as one of the best, steely, precise, and bristling with life.

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

Xiayin Wang, Piano

Alice Tully Hall, New York, NY
May 18, 2009

Dear Reader: It gives me great pleasure to report that Xiayin Wang’s magnificent recital on May 18th was a milestone; a true rite of passage! As they say, nothing succeeds like success and before Ms. Wang even played a note, a large upbeat audience roared its approval as she took her place on stage. The ensuing opening chords of Haydn’s great last Sonata in E flat, Hob. XV1/52 (actually 62), played Maestoso, at once served notice that Ms. Wang’s appealingly reticent musical persona familiar to this writer from her several previous recitals and her compact disc (Marquis 81369) had metamorphosized into a bigger, bolder, confident and more interesting artiste. Rarely have I heard such an outstanding transformation (just for comparison, try Ms. Wang’s small scaled, shapeless performance of Mozart’s K. 330 Sonata on the cited recording). The Haydn was heroically revealed; the subito fortissimos at the ends of the first movement exposition and recapitulation had just the startling impact Haydn specified; the Adagio had remarkable gravitas and the movement’s imperious forte interjections and audacious juxtapositions of unexpected key relationships all enhanced the work’s harmonic tensions. The Finale too burst forth with a blistering Presto. Ms. Wang, you might say, made the Haydn sound like early Beethoven, and I think she was stylistically right on the money.

Chopin’s Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38 (some musicians like Brahms and Murray Perahia insist that the composition ends and should be identified as being “in A minor”) began liltingly, its opening melody lovingly shaped with subtle, unobtrusive rubato. The fierce ensuing second part came as an avalanche and the forward-thrusting phrasing slashed forward with unfailing direction and purpose. The potentially terrifying coda was rendered with note perfect confidence and accuracy: A great performance.

There were two World Premieres on Ms. Wang’s program. Richard Danielpour’s Preludes Book II, “The Enchanted Garden”, proved accessible and appealing. The first piece, “Persepolis” was rather suggestive of Poulenc. The second, “Surrounded by Idiots” scampered about engagingly; the Third was an “Elegy”; the Fourth “Lean Kat Stride” a jazzy free for all. And inevitably, for a suite called “The Enchanted Garden” Mr. Danilepour turned his sights to Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite. The pleasingly derivative music was beautifully written for the piano and evidently tailor-made for its dedicatee who played it to the hilt. The other World Premiere, Sean Hickey’s Cursive was a bit harder for this reviewer to absorb in one hearing, but it, too, was demandingly and effectively written for the piano (Hickey, according to his bio was trained as a jazz guitarist). His piece was also handsomely played by Ms. Wang.

Everyone these days seems to be fielding Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit and Ms. Wang’s account of Scarbo was unusually robust and large scaled (with all its fearsome repeated notes and virtuoso obstacles magnificently under control.

Scriabin’s 1903 Valse, Op. 38 was elegantly bittersweet. (Ms. Wang has always shown special affinity for the short-lived Russian composer’s slightly demented music and, as this review is written, a new all-Scriabin Naxos recording from Ms. Wang is imminently awaiting release.)

The formal portion of the concert ended with one of the fastest, fleetest accounts of Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1 with all its swashbuckling glissandos (which we heard earlier in the Danielpour), and leaps brilliantly nailed.

For an encore, the pianist beguiled us with one of those Chinese Picture Postcards, “The Autumn Mood over the Calm Lake” from the Dvorak dynasty (you might say that pentatonic scales were as typical of the Czech composer’s music as any quintessential Chinese or  Japanese stereotype).

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by Harris Goldsmith  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY