The announcement of pianist Thomas Schultz’s October New York recital stirred high hopes, as his outstanding 2006 performance had this reviewer waxing rhapsodic. Those hopes were met in some regards, but less so in others.
The first surprise came in the programming itself. Known for his adventurous mix of old and new and a keen sense of musical chemistry between works, on this occasion Mr. Schultz presented only two works, both in the mainstream literature and neither lacking a distinguished performance history; Schubert’s Sonata in B-flat, D.960, was the first half, and the Brahms Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, Op. 24, was the second. While there is a fine line between a specialty and a pigeonhole, Mr. Schultz’s less well-known 20th century works had been a huge plus in the prior program; Brahms and Schubert, on the other hand, set the recital up for comparison with numerous of the world’s greatest performances, and, on this particular evening he did not fare as well as one had hoped.
In his favor, Mr. Schultz exhibited in the Schubert the same genuine feeling and penchant for subtle, soft playing that this listener admired several years ago; unfortunately, though, the balance between registers was not quite controlled, and the melody, even in the beginning, was overwhelmed by accompaniment (lovely though it was). What seemed a style of intimacy a few years ago here seemed more a lack of projection. What had impressed as a patient, long-breathed style seemed here to need more differentiation (e.g., the left hand G octaves that punctuate the last movement, which were almost lackluster).
The Brahms Op. 24 faced similar issues, with the additional technical challenges that sometimes seemed to slow things down. One especially missed the surges in the twenty-third variation, building to the climax in the twenty-fifth that unleashes the Fugue.
Through it all, there were great moments and many glimmers of insight, but to bring the music to the audience Mr. Schultz might need to step outside the tonal world he seems to have internalized so well and project more.
