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François-Xavier Poizat Waltzes Through Central Park West

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Robin and Francois-Xavier

François-Xavier Poizat May 5th, 2018

On Saturday May 5th, 2018, Robin Shoemaker hosted a Salon Concert with pianist François-Xavier Poizat at Central Park West.

This accomplished young Julliard graduate has an impressive CV, and the program for the evening looked enticing.

Années de Pèlerinage, Première année suite, Franz Liszt

Liszt’s weighty suite consists of a series of piano pieces imbued with literary and historical associations. There is self-conscious grandeur in some of these episodes that challenges the pianist with its key-pounding lack of subtlety.

Poizat immersed himself in Liszt’s theatricality, shaking the floor when stamping the sostenuto, attacking Liszt’s parallel octaves with vigor. At more reflective moments he would stare beyond the keyboard, or drop his forehead towards the keybed. This was a strong and heartfelt presentation.

Variations sur un thème de Chopin, Federico Mompou

Mompou’s variations are based on Chopin’s one-minute long Prelude in A major Op. 28, No. 7. It was elegantly played by Mr. Poizat, but I could not help but wonder why a composer would tinker with such a Chopin gem.

Ravel’s La Valse, arr. Alexander Ghindin

Poizat at Central Park West

Poizat introduced Ravel’s La Valse to us as a post-war (World War 1) ‘swan song” to the great Viennese waltz. The composer himself, however, described the work more as a waltz gradually revealed, than as a declining tradition or the symbolic end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Poizat’s virtuoso Ravel contained little sense of decline or loss. He uplifted us with waves of criss-crossing glissandos and stunned us with left fist blows to the bottom end of the keyboard. While he had my head spinning like a dancer in the swirling waltz, he stayed focused on the flow of Ravel’s masterpiece and earned a rousing ovation.

Encore: Waltz No. 2, Shostakovich

After Ravel, Poizat surprised us by returning to the keyboard for an encore.  Since we clearly loved waltzes, he would play another one! I expected a light dessert such as a Chopin waltz, but this was not a Chopin sort of night.

Instead, he served up Shostakovich’s lugubrious Waltz No. 2 in a stunning, unpublished arrangement. This very satisfying conclusion resulted in your reviewer purchasing Poizat’s CD containing both waltzes (http://www.fxpoizat.com/#discography).

 

 

Opera Singers at Central Park West

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Robin Shoemaker hosting on 1-19-2018

An Evening of Opera Scenes

On Friday January 19th the International Masters Academy of Opera (IAMO) presented An Evening of Opera Scenes at the Shoemaker residence on Central Park West.

The program ranged from Bizet to Verdi, with an Italian weighting and a splash of Bernstein. Over the course of two hours, a variety of mostly younger opera singers performed for an audience of about 25.

Listeners in the front row were just an arm’s length from the performer(s). Those seated further back were still closer than the front row of most major venues. This intimate setting gave us a rich connection to the singers. It allowed us to savor the fine detail of each performance, such as Alan Glassman‘s heart-rending facial expressions in Otello (Verdi), and to feel personally how hard the singers were working.

Effort and Power

Richard Barrett introduced each artist and their repertoire. He advised us that opera singers are trained to perform without a microphone, explaining the astonishing power of these artists and why so much physical effort can be involved. I’m remembering primarily Ashley Bell in this regard. You don’t fully grasp such things in a large auditorium, but when you are close to a performer of such enormous power the experience becomes all-encompassing.

Other Highlights

We appreciated the passionate delivery of Greek soprano Elisabeth Papageorgiou, the fine control of Chinese mezzo-soprano Hongyao Wang, and the spirited duet of soprano Marnie Baylouny and mezzo-soprano Claudia Yanez (Rossini’s Duetto buffo di due gatti – the “meow” duet). Corynn Springer (mezzo-soprano) and Damian Faul (baritone) deserve a special New York shout out for their adorably romantic duets from West Side Story.

We also enjoyed Siberian mezzo-soprano Polina Egudina, Korean soprano Rosa Chang, tenor Vikram Bal, and the youngest singer Carson Cook (baritone) who coped admirably with this intense venue. Last but not least, we thank accompanists Violetta Zabbi and Eric Malson (piano), Andy Lin (viola) and our gracious host for making it all possible.

Supporting the Arts

The evening closed with a brief address from Allan Glassman. Allan noted that career opportunities for young singers are harder to find now than in the past, and observed that especially at this time in America, the Arts need our support.

Opera Singers at Central Park West

Opera singers and accompanists at Central Park West 1-19-2018

 

 

 

Pianist Han Chen at Central Park West

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Robin Shoemaker with Han Chen, May 20th 2017

At the May 20th 2017 concert at the Shoemaker salon on Central Park West, Han Chen played romantic era works by Scriabin, Schubert and Liszt.  He also played the hybrid Bach-Busoni Chaconne. What a swoon-fest!

Bach-Busoni: Chaconne in D minor

Ferrucio Busoni’s arrangement of Bach’s ethereal Violin Partita No. 2 applies romantic piano technique to baroque underpinnings. Han Chen’s signature touch was to reign in Bach’s crescendos to a precise but somber procession of thunderclaps, and then cut loose to a hectic race into the high arpeggios.

The acoustics of the Shoemaker salon were perfect for this work, enriching and damping the dominant bass. And yet, there was a detached, clinical feel to Mr. Chen’s rubato that left me wanting less cultivated drama and more instinctive passion.

Scriabin: Fantasy, Op. 28

The Scriabin Fantasy in B minor Op. 28  is a sweeping, sonorous work. I enjoyed the oceanic feel delivered by Han Chen, and was struck by his ability to bring out the color in Scriabin’s complex harmonies.

Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy, Op. 15, D. 760

In the Schubert, as with the Scriabin, Han Chen again demonstrated nuanced partial-pedal coloring. At times his right hand seemed like a passel of faeries dancing tiptoe across the upper registers. At other times his Schubert sounded Schubertianly (sic) ponderous. This is somewhat the nature of the Wanderer Fantasy, coming from the early part of the romantic era.

Liszt: Sonata in B Minor

Han Chen plays Liszt at Central Park West

Han Chen plays Liszt chez Shoemaker

Punctuated at the beginning and the end by a low staccato G, the great Liszt B Minor piano sonata is about half an hour long. This demanding work is so well-known that it has to be delivered with compelling authority, and Han Chen had no difficulty doing so.

From its deceptively simple opening to its keyboard-cracking crescendos, the slight Mr. Chen was totally on top of Liszt’s Sonata and performed it with impressive power and panache. Liszt broke pianos while playing works such as this, so I had to wonder whether Mr. Chen’s hands hurt afterwards. My ears certainly did.

Han Chen

I had no idea what to expect of Han Chen, other than the technical excellence that we take for granted in Julliard musicians. But at the end of the day, Mr. Chen’s Liszt Sonata overshadowed the rest of his program. It left most of us stunned, and your reviewer’s ears ringing.

In his closing remarks, our host Robin Shoemaker noted that in just a few days Han Chen would be participating in the Van Cliburn Competition. We wish Mr. Chen the best of luck: he certainly seems up to the challenge.