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Denis Matsuev Overwhelms Carnegie

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Denis Matsuev

Denis Matsuev strode on to the Carnegie stage on Sunday October 20th, 2019.

Well over 6 feet tall, he looked powerful and solid, the proverbial Russian bear.

Outside Carnegie, a group of protesters chanted in Russian that Matsuev supports war. But surely there are more effective ways to critique Russian foreign policy than harassing a world-class pianist!

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor

Liszt’s Sonata opens with a deep pulse in the Steinway’s chocolately low end. Matsuev paced this perfectly. Then it explodes into drama and episodic wandering, interspersed with archetypally Liszt-ian hammering climaxes.

This is a self-consciously great work. It is difficult for the pianist to imbue it with gravitas, because the work is patchy and wanders a lot. In Matsuev’s hands it felt harmonically muddy and sometimes rushed. For comparison, here is a recording of Marta Argerich.

The Roving Pianist Concert Clown award goes to the man who stood and started clapping before the last notes died away.

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 S. 514

The Mephisto Waltz gives the pianist more to work with. It is an adventurous, lively work and Matsuev was wholly on top of it, sometimes to excess. Again there was some rushing. To be fair, the audience wanted a virtuoso performance and Matsuev obliged. At times the piano shook visibly from his raw power. This was the Matsuev machine we had come to see, a massive performance that brought the audience to its feet.

Tchaikovsky: Dumka in C minor Op. 59

Denis Matsuev at Carnegie Oct. 2019

Denis Matsuev with flowers Carnegie 2019

Tchaikovsky’s symphonies and concertos are the core of this cinematic Russian composer’s public image. Piano-lovers are familiar with his The Seasons. The Dumka is less well-known. It combines oh-so-Russian descending minor progressions with a dance that alternately sounds like fairies and trolls. Alas the dancers are unable to rise above the beautiful gloom.

From a pianist famed for how much noise he can get out of a piano, Matsuev’s Dumka was an unexpected treasure.

Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka

Here again was a percussive showpiece for Matsuev to strut his stuff. I’ve heard many pianists play Stravinsky, and Matsuev’s rendition was one of the more impressive. But my response was muted because by then my appetite for hammering was overshadowed by the need to hear something more fulfilling.

Encores

Like Yuja Wang at Carnegie in 2016, Denis Matsuev really came alive with his encores.

As I have mentioned to other concert pianists, the audience may not recognize your encores. Even just naming the composer will help us figure it out. But Matsuev did not talk to us, and I recognized only two of his four encores. Later I identified the Sibelius by browsing recordings of Matsuev. Of the remaining unidentified encore, I can only say that it was light and possibly Russian.

Rachmaninov Études-Tableaux Op. 39 No. 2 in A minor

Rachmaninov was, for this reviewer, the highlight of Matsuev’s recital. It was lighter in the left hand than I prefer, but still had that heart-bursting cacophonous climax that I first heard played by the young Russian pianist Ivan Gusev.

Sibelius Etude No. 2 from Thirteen Pieces, Op. 76

I did not recognize this encore, but I could tell it was Russian. Wrong! Although it could pass for a Russian sailors’ hornpipe, it turned out to have been Sibelius. Not so far off geographically, I suppose.

Grieg-Ginzburg In the Hall of the Mountain King

Matsuev’s last encore was the Ginzburg arrangement of In the Hall of the Mountain King from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. Matsuev sauced it up by playing the declamatory first note and extending the subsequent pause while chuckling with the audience. There followed an unashamedly hammered, ridiculously over-speed performance that was breathtaking to watch.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this concert, but I wish that Denis Matsuev had chosen a more integrated Liszt work, e.g. Harmonies du Soir. Compared with Rachmaninov’s Études-Tableaux, Liszt’s B minor Sonata seemed like a waste of Matsuev’s talent. If his audience wants him to hammer the piano, Rachmaninov offers plenty options.

Pianist Gábor Farkas at the Classical Bridge Festival

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Gabor Farkas in New York

Pianist Gábor Farkas performed at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in New York on July 29th, 2019. This event was part of the Classical Bridge Festival organized by New York Concert Artists & Associates.

Farkas’ program of Chopin and Liszt was enticing. It consisted of 4 Impromptus, a Mazurka (C sharp minor Op. 50 No. 3) and a Ballade (No. 1, G minor) by Chopin, followed by selections from Liszt’s Années de Pelèrinages.

Farkas has a long list of credentials and came on stage projecting relaxed confidence. His technical prowess was soon evident. His fast runs were so smooth that one could (hypothetically) balance a glass of wine on the back of his hands. He looked VERY good.

Chopin

I love Chopin and if you play Chopin well, I love you too! I wanted to be enchanted by Gábor Farkas, but somehow I wasn’t. Nowhere was this more evident than in Chopin’s painful yet ultimately triumphant Ballade No. 1 in G minor.

Farkas lost me in the opening bars due to a moment of unconvincing rubato, but regained his momentum and turned in a respectable performance with plenty of fireworks. When he finished, there was rowdy cheering.

While Farkas was agile and expressive, something felt “off” about this Ballade. I consulted the gentleman in the next seat. We agreed that it was a problem of authenticity. Farkas’ played with great competence, but the music did not seem to inhabit him.

Liszt

In contrast, Gábor Farkas was in his element with Liszt, excelling in low-end hammering power, octaves and huge climaxes. There are few more entertaining composers than Liszt for such drama.

Later, Farkas joked that the piano would no longer be in tune. Of course Liszt would have broken it… but I digress! Liszt is not at the top of my list (sic), but it was good… listening.

Conclusion

Gábor Farkas’ signature move at the piano is tilting his head back and staring into space as he plays. This communicates little. And that was my quibble with this otherwise impressively competent pianist when playing Chopin. His feelings were opaque.

The pianist is the conductor of the audience. We like him/her to lead us, particularly with a Romantic composer like Chopin. That’s not to say that we want the pianist to over-act at the keyboard. We can leave that to the adorable Lang Lang! But give us some cues, show us that you feel something.

There are subtle and not-so-subtle ways to project emotions to an audience. But you can’t just stare into space and expect us to know what you feel.

Pianist Tiffany Poon in Rhode Island

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Tiffany Poon at her Core Memory recital Rhode Island 2019

Tiffany Poon is one of the first classical pianists to vlog about her life as a pianist.

She is an engaging communicator and works hard to expand her following; see my article Pianist Tiffany Poon meets Fans in NYC.

The resulting fan engagement has accelerated Tiffany’s social media presence to critical mass, bringing her invitations to perform around the world. With almost 110k YouTube followers at the time of writing, Tiffany’s concerts have sold out in places as diverse as Singapore and Brazil.

Given her popularity, I was lucky to get a seat at Tiffany’s very first house concert on April 20th 2019, hosted by Craig Maynard’s Core Memory venture in Rhode Island. Although 180 miles from my home, this was nothing compared with the distance some people traveled for this concert.

OMG it’s Tiffany!

When Tiffany walked through the audience to the piano, everyone went a little crazy. She was exactly the same in person as in her vlogs, except that instead of her usual low-key attire, she wore a dazzling scarlet outfit and golden heels. I felt like we were watching the birth of a star.

Bach: French Suite No. 5, BWV 816

Tiffany Poon at Core Memory Rhode Island

Tiffany in action

Tiffany’s Bach was a sublime ice-breaker, sweetly colored by subtle, sometimes rapid pedal. Her voicing was fluid, using finely controlled dynamics to weave the left hand to the front and back of the sound stage. I’ve heard crisper baroque ornamentation, but I prefer Tiffany’s warmer, less clinical interpretation.

Haydn: Keyboard Sonata in E Flat Major, Hob. XVI:52

This work (Haydn’s last) is a kaleidoscope of contrasts which gave Tiffany lots to work with. She brought out the essence of this spirited, alternately grand and cheeky work, earning rousing applause from her audience.

Chopin: Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op 60

Tiffany played this work at the 2015 Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Her Rhode Island performance in 2019 was identical in pace, with a little more sparkle and less angst. Taking into account different venues, pianos, and recording equipment, these performances were comparable. Tiffany knows how she wants to play the Barcarolle and is remarkably consistent in her delivery.

Chopin: Nocturne in C minor Op. 48, No. 1

Few pianists are able to evoke the full darkness of the C minor Nocturne. In Rhode Island, Tiffany brought gloom to the forefront with her deep left hand in the opening. However some elongated phrasing as the work shifted from minor to major blunted the edge of this work. For me there was a bit too much piu lento, making for more sweetness than called for. But these are personal preferences and do not detract from Tiffany’s sumptuous performance. Hers was a nuanced interpretation, where raw grief is offset by (to coin a phrase) natural beauty.

Chopin: Nocturne in E minor Op. 72, No. 1

The E minor Nocturne is overshadowed by Chopin’s better-known works. But on this rainy Rhode Island evening, Tiffany Poon gave a stunning performance of this melancholy work that had those exquisite dissonances tugging at the soul. She was uncharacteristically restrained in her gestures, allowing the music to work on us without distraction from the performer. At the end her right arm crossed her left to play the final note, a period at the end of a very profound statement by this remarkable young pianist.

Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor Op. 52

This beloved work was a good choice to close Tiffany’s concert. Not as dolorous as the preceding Nocturne, it is more challenging and complex. For Ms. Poon here was an opportunity to show once again the range of her talent. As we watched, the music seemed to take over the pianist, shaking head her like a rag doll. In slower segments her arms floated above the keyboard like those of a ballerina. This was a totally immersed performance by Tiffany that must have used every muscle in her body.

Encores: Liszt, Schumann

Tiffany played two encores. The first needs no introduction, she said (Liszt: Liebestraum no. 3). My neighbor tapped me on the shoulder to find out what it was. The second (Schumann: Träumerei) was by her favorite composer, she hinted. This reviewer recognized it instantly, but had to browse YouTube to find its name!

This is a common disconnect between artist and audience. There will always be someone who needs to be told. At a home concert we can ask, but at a major venue such as Carnegie some folk may leave not knowing what you played! Keep this in mind during your many future encores, Tiffany!

Tiffany Poon chatting with her audience

Closing Thoughts

This was Tiffany’s first house concert, and she was entertainingly and characteristically frank about not knowing protocols for taking bows and going offstage. After the performance, she sat at the piano and chatted with us for a lengthy period, taking questions and making no effort to bring things to a close.

This generosity of spirit will serve Tiffany well, although it may be harder to maintain once she is touring as a world class concert pianist. After this evening in Rhode Island, I have no doubt that she is capable of achieving this dream.

I was impressed by the Core Memory venue, an airy performance space with excellent lighting and good acoustics. Our host Craig Maynard did a great job setting this up. Events are open to the public but have limited seating, so sign up early!