Bach Archives - ROVING PIANIST

Prizewinning Pianist Jack Gao’s Concert of Contrasts

Wednesday, January 10th, 2024 by Ken Turner

Jack Gao playing on Sunday January 7th 2024

I was thrilled to see Jack Gao perform at a salon concert in New York on January 7th. The concert was a co-presentation by host Robin Shoemaker and the Center for Musical Excellence, Director Min Kwon.

Ms. Kwon enthused about how well Jack played at the 2023 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition at Juilliard, where he won First Prize. More recently, he placed first at the 2023 Naumburg International Piano Competition.

She also noted that Jack will make his Carnegie Debut on February 5th 2024.

J. S. Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G major

Jack’s opening Allemande was elegantly phrased and captivating. I also enjoyed the contrast-laden Loure, whose halting tempo was sustained by effortless ripples and spiralling vortices.

But by far my favorite part of the Suite was Jack’s sublimely spiritual Sarabande, which at times hinted at Bach’s Goldberg Aria.

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90

I wasn’t sure what to make of this unusual sonata. The first movement was both pleasant and disturbing, light and dark, beautiful and dreadful. And yet there was always a sense that yin and yang would eventually resolve.

I liked how Mr. Gao evoked these contrasting moods. I liked when he unleashed Beethoven’s anguish and then let it fade. And I loved how he created those ethereal pianissimos. But I need to listen to this work again in order to grasp it better.

Liszt: Transcendental Étude No. 5, “Feux Follets”

After Beethoven’s relatively gloomy sonata, Liszt’s brash Etude allowed the pianist to have some much-needed fun. Jack’s delivery was a crowd-pleaser, entertaining and virtuosic.

Bartok: Piano Sonata

This Bartok was not an easy listen for me. While at times it was boisterously festive, at other times it felt like biting on eggshell in your omelet. This was no fault of the pianist, who played with power and conviction.

Min Kwon and Jack Gao play Brahms

Brahms: Hungarian Dances No. 1 and No. 4 for four hands

For the first Brahms dance, Jack played Secondo (left side), powering Brahms’ lush, romantic main theme. Ms. Kwon took Primo, sprinkling the room with upper register twinkles.

For the second dance, the pianists switched roles. I found myself laughing as Jack played mischievous seconds. It was a spirited, entertaining performance.

Gao, Lowenthal, Kwon

Surprises

Wrapping up the evening, Min Kwon introduced two distinguished members of the audience: pianist Ursula Oppens and pianist Jerome Lowenthal.

Mr Lowenthal joined Ms. Kwon and Mr. Gao to play Rachmaninoff’s Romance for 6 hands, a beautiful work that felt all the more special because it was being performed by pianists from 3 generations.

Unfortunately it also meant that this fascinating concert of contrasts was coming to a close.

Postscript

After the recital I spent a few minutes with Jack Gao. When I asked him how he felt about his Beethoven sonata, he lit up with enthusiasm and started explaining its construction. Jack is a versatile musician who clearly loves what he is doing, and his future looks bright.

Host Robin with Jack Gao and Min Kwon

Pianist Lisa Yui at Yamaha Artist Services NYC 2023

Sunday, September 17th, 2023 by Ken Turner

Lisa Yui

Lisa Yui at Yamaha Artist Services NYC

I first met Dr. Lisa Yui two years ago at her Juilliard Evening Division Piano Class. If you’ve ever worked with Dr. Yui, you will understand why I then signed up for two more of her classes. She is a captivating educator with a wry sense of humor and seemingly limitless energy.

There are many videos of Ms. Yui’s piano performances. However her September 14th 2023 concert at Yamaha Artist Services was the first time that I would get to see her give an in-person recital. It was also my first visit to Yamaha’s NYC Salon.

Yamaha Artist Services

Yamaha Artist Services entrance

The Yamaha Artist Services Salon is on the 3rd floor at 589 5th Avenue, but you can’t get in from 5th Ave. The unmarked entrance is round the corner on 54th Street. There, the doorman scanned me in using the QR code that Yamaha had emailed me.

The Salon is modern and tasteful. Superbly designed lighting showcases the performance area without undermining the intimate feel of the venue. A Yamaha grand piano owner myself, I was in awe of the immaculate CFX concert grand that Lisa Yui would play.

The Performance

It is not my intent here to go into detail of the program repertoire, listed below. It was no surprise that before each work, Ms. Yui would turn to the audience and discuss it in some detail. I particularly appreciated her introduction to those works that were new to me, such as the Dussek. Even when performing she continues to educate, salting her commentary with splashes of humor.

Bach, J.S.: Italian Concerto BWV 971
Dussek: Sonata No. 24 Op. 61 ‘Elégie Harmonique’
Qigang Chen: Instants d’un Opera de Pekin
Weber: Sonata No. 1 in C major Op. 24

The Encore

Ms. Yui challenged us to identify her encore. I was both enchanted by the work, and baffled as to who might have written it. Were there hints of impressionism, perhaps? Pianist Michael Kaykov enlightened me afterwards: it was Liszt’s Elegy No. 2 S. 197.

Closing Thoughts

As I write this two days later, I am still somewhat stunned from Lisa Yui’s recital. As a performer she has a strong stage presence and intensely controlled delivery. As her would-be reviewer, I was too mesmerized by her performance to take any notes.

If I were to choose one moment that encapsulated Ms. Yui’s persona, it was when she described just how difficult the Qigang Chen was. She then turned to the piano with a devilish grin, and ripped into it with gusto.

Kissin Conquers Carnegie Hall May 2023

Thursday, May 4th, 2023 by Ken Turner

Evgeny Kissin, Carnegie Hall, May 2023

I’ve always liked pianist Evgeny Kissin, but sometimes I feel ambivalent about his interpretations. See my reviews of his Carnegie Hall appearances in May 2018 and November 2015 for more on this.

But Kissin’s May 2nd, 2023 Carnegie Hall piano recital was a “must see” for Roving Pianist (RP), because of its program. Many others must have felt the same: Carnegie’s main auditorium was packed to the back of the balcony and there were also audience seated on stage.

Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903

I first heard Bach’s sublime Chromatic Fantasia at Lisa Yui‘s inspiring Juilliard evening class Keyboard Literature in Concert Baroque & Classical. I couldn’t wait to hear what Mr. Kissin would make of this delightful work.

Kissin was impeccably tailored and bowed long, with dignity befitting a great man. His Bach was also perfectly presented, punctuated by emphatic head-nodding and underpinned by intense concentration.

The fugue’s simple ascending theme transported us in a DNA-like three-dimensional musical helix, closing with a short cadence. My companion had one word for Kissin’s fugue: “perfect”.

Everyone wants a selfie with RP

Mozart: Sonata in D Major, K. 311

From the chirpy opening, through the generally lyrical slow movement and into the dancing close, Kissin’s Mozart was light and benign. Sandwiched between Bach and Chopin, it was in place chronologically. However, it felt out of place emotionally.

Chopin: Polonaise in F-sharp Minor, Op. 44

In contrast, Kissin’s F sharp minor Polonaise Op. 44 was dark and stunning. His two-handed keyboard runs were so fierce and flawless that they felt like an oceanic roar. It was a breathtaking display of Kissin at his most magnificent.

Rachmaninoff: Selected Piano Pieces

Rachmaninoff occupied the entire second half of the recital. The scheduled works included Lilacs, a couple of Preludes, and five Études-Tableaux from Opus 39. Kissin’s Études-Tableaux were satisfyingly Russian, played with appropriate force and angst. I would highlight two of them.

I love Étude-Tableau Op. 39 No. 2 in A Minor, but Kissin’s was missing something. Those pedal-like bass notes were just too pale. What was he thinking? Let us hear those low A’s, Evgeny! I have to stay with Denis Matsuev for this one.

Étude-Tableau Op. 39 No. 9 in D major was probably the best of the scheduled Rachmaninov. This driven work had it all, from cinematic sweeps, twinkling ascending thirds, dramatic modulations, cacophonous clatter and stomping boots! We wanted Russian pianism, we got it, we applauded deliriously.

Kissin announces an encore, Carnegie 2023

Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp Minor Op. 3 No. 2

For encores, Kissin went all-Rachmaninoff. We cheered him on in the afterglow of his Études-Tableaux. But in truth the first two encores were small cheese.

Not so the last encore! As Kissin played the opening chords of the emblematic Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 n C-sharp Minor, we drowned him in our delight and clapped like crazy folk. We cheered for 19-yr-old Sergei Rachmaninoff who wrote it. We cheered for Evgeny Kissin in his prime. And we cheered because we knew from this choice that it was the last thing Kissin would play that evening.

Everyone loves this Prelude, pretty much. Sometimes we turn our noses up at it because it is so popular, or so melodramatic, or whatever. But under Kissin’s hands on May 2nd, 2023, it was remarkable. Mr. Kissin restrained his closing pace to the edge, and it worked. It was the most satisfying performance of this work that I have ever heard.

I have no audio from this concert, but I did find Kissin playing this encore in a March 2023 video.

RP waiting for Kissin

Final Thoughts

Notwithstanding Rachmaninoff’s Opus 39 No. 2, Roving Pianist nominates Evgeny Kissin as World’s Greatest Living Pianist. His Bach was exquisite, his Chopin Polonaise a revelation, and his Rachmaninoff Op. 3 No. 2 was everything we wanted it to be.