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You are here: Home / Archives for Debussy

Pianist Yun Janice Lu in Rhode Island

Wednesday, January 8th, 2020 by Ken Leave a Comment

Yun Janice Lu, portrait by Craig Maynard

Yun Janice Lu, by Craig Maynard

Yun Janice Lu

On January 4th, 2020, I visited Craig Maynard’s Core Memory venue in South Kingston, Rhode Island for a recital by pianist Yun Janice Lu.

Born in Taiwan, Ms. Lu is currently a postgraduate music student at Yale University. I had never seen her play, but Core Memory hosts excellent artists so I had high expectations.

Shortly before the recital began, I noticed a young woman sitting nearby, reading sheet music on an iPad. It took me a few moments to recognize our soloist, sitting with her audience while preparing.

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 24 in F Sharp Major Op. 78

Yun Janice Lu opened with Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 24 Op. 78, one of his shortest. (Sir Andras Schiff gave an excellent lecture about this work.)

She played an abbreviated version of the first movement, so the entire sonata lasted less than 8 minutes. It was a good introduction to Ms. Lu’s low-key, immersive approach. From the serene opening of the Adagio to the flirty call-response phrasing of the Allegro vivace, her Beethoven was fluid and convincing.

Janice plays Prokofiev

Yun Janice Lu playing Prokofiev

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B Flat Major Op. 83

The jagged dissonance of Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7 was in striking contrast to Beethoven’s harmonious sonata, taking us across time from the Napoleonic wars to World War 2.

Ms. Lu appeared to relish Prokofiev’s edgy rhythms, at times rising from the bench with her hair flying. It was a striking performance that mesmerized the audience. Afterwards, someone commented that her fingers must be glowing.

Despite the virtuosity that Prokofiev demands, Janice most impressed me in the opening of the second movement. Here, Prokofiev sets aside his personal idiom and borrows a progression from Schumann’s “Wehmut”, composed a century earlier. This was rendered with haunting beauty by Ms. Lu, as you can hear in the following audio snippet.

https://www.rovingpianist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Janice-Prokofiev-1.mp3

 

Schumann: Kreisleriana Op. 16

Janice Lu at Core Memory January 2020

Yun Janice Lu at Core Memory, Rhode Island

There was a lot to like in Yun Janice Lu’s Kreisleriana. My favorite part was the second movement (“Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch”), which contains one of Schumann’s most beautiful melodies.

Here Ms. Lu’s graceful phrasing and artful pedal painted Schumann’s intertwining voices on a rapturous canvas of harmonics that seemed to rise over us.

Encore: Ravel Jeux d’Eau

Watching Ms. Lu’s nimble performance of Ravel’s melodious work, it seemed that she really liked it. At least once, a hint of a smile crossed her face. And a couple of times Ravel really got her bicycling (see Closing Thoughts).

Encore: Debussy Etude No. 11

New to me, Debussy’s Etude No. 11 was full of `sound-alike moments reflecting rhythms and harmonies from his other compositions. Like the preceding Ravel, Ms. Lu seemed to have a special affinity for this work and gave an evocative performance, full of impressionist sparkle.

Closing Thoughts

I greatly enjoyed our time with Yun Janice Lu. Sociable and at ease in the spotlight, she is not the kind of pianist to swagger at the keyboard or cue her audience on what to feel. Her performance had an unforced, natural flow, and she had a way of making everything look easy.

The only expressive flair that I noticed from Janice was her “bicycle”, which seemed to come out mostly during musical peaks. You can see it in the following snippet from her Beethoven.

Filed Under: Concerts, Public concerts Tagged With: Beethoven, Core Memory, Craig Maynard, Debussy, Janice Lu, Kreisleriana, Peacedale, piano, Prokofiev, Ravel, Rhode Island, Schumann, Yale University, Yun Janice Lu

Violinist Magdalena Filipczak at the Anthoine Penthouse

Tuesday, June 4th, 2019 by Ken Leave a Comment

Magdalena Filipczak solo

On May 19th, 2019, violinist Magdalena Filipczak and pianist Jessica Xylina Osborne gave a recital at the Anthoine Penthouse in New York City. The program was an eclectic collection of 19th to mid-20th century works, with a sizeable Polish component.

Here are the works that were played.

Bacewicz: Polish Caprice for solo violin

This work was written by the Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz, at one time a student of Nadia Boulanger. You can hear Grazyna herself play it. It is a brief, entertaining piece that opens in a reflective mood. It transitions to a fast dance, replete with challenges for the violinist.

Britten: Reveille

Magdalena’s interest in the music of Benjamin Britten dates back to years she spent in London, U.K. She likened this work to the violinist yawning as he gradually wakes up. Magdalena’s yawn was a muted portamento that repeats and evolves as the work progresses. Later we hear hints of a military trumpet. The work closes with sudden dissonance and a flourish. The reason for this was unclear to me. Did the violinist fall out of bed?

Wienawski: Polonaise in D major, Op. 4

Available on YouTube as Wieniawski Polonaise in D Major.

Magdalena Filipczak and Jessica Xylena Osborne

Previn: Song from Tango, Song and Dance

Magdalena played this sad, delicate work with grace. You can see Anne-Sophie Mutter play it at THE RECORDING OF TANGO, SONG AND DANCE.

Piazzola: Bordel from The History of Tango

I like Piazzola, but in this work the composer had pianist Jessica tapping rhythmically on the piano, which broke the spell.

Ravel: Blues (Violin Sonata No. 2, second movement)

This work was difficult to absorb on first hearing. There are echoes of Ravel’s Left Hand Piano Concerto mid-way through, but I did not feel that Blues was of comparable stature.

Szymanowski: Peasant Dance from Harnasie

Available on YouTube as Szymanowski Danse Paysanne from Harnasie (Filipczak)

Karlowicz: Selected songs, Op. 1

Ms. Filipczak is also a singer! She sang two short songs by Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, a composer whose short life crossed from the 19th to the 20th century. This delightful romantic fare was given life by Ms. Filipczak’s luxurious vibrato and closed on a perfect high note.

Debussy: Violin Sonata

This esoteric violin sonata was the composer’s last work. It’s not easy to follow, but Ms. Filipczak played it with conviction. It is available on YouTube as Claude Debussy Sonate No.3 Live Recording (Esther Abrami).

Wienawski: Fantasia on themes from Gounod’s Faust, Op. 20

This was my favorite work of the evening. At times sounding like a cross between Schubert and Chopin, it is a bright, approachable work. The interplay between Magdalena’s violin and Jessica’s piano was delightful.

Jessica, host Rita, and Magdalena

Closing thoughts

The intimate performance space at the Anthoine Penthouse gave the audience a larger-than-life experience. In a modest-sized room, a violin has power and resonance that amplifies the emotional texture of a work.

My lasting impression of Ms. Filipczak’s performance is one of clarity, consistency and beauty.  I enjoyed almost everything that she played, and was impressed by what seemed to be effortless coordination between violin and piano.

On Wednesday, May 5th 2019 at 7:30 pm at The Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, you can see Magdalena and Jessica play this program. See Inspired by Song and Dance – A recital by Magdalena Filipczak, violin and Jessica Xylina Osborne, piano.

 

Filed Under: Concerts, Private Concerts, Violin Tagged With: Anthoine Penthouse, Debussy, Grazyna Bacewicz, Jessica Xylina Osborne, Karlowicz, Kosciuszko Foundation, Magdalena Filipczak, piazzola, Szymanowski, Wienawski

Pianist Yoonie Han Graces New York Salon

Friday, April 12th, 2019 by Ken Leave a Comment

Yoonie Han at Central Park West April 2019

Yoonie Han at the Shoemaker Salon, NYC

On Thursday April 11th 2019, pianist Yoonie Han gave a recital at the Shoemaker Salon on Central Park West, NYC.

The program was anchored by the work of French composer Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947) and ranged across the romantic era from late 19th century to mid-20th.

Ms. Han introduced each work to us before playing, which the audience always appreciates.

Gluck/Friedman: Melodié from Orfeo ed Euridice

After just a few phrases of Mélodie it was obvious that Yoonie Han has something unique. Her fluency and refined pacing touch the edge of perfection and tug at the heart throughout this wistfully beautiful work.

Hahn: Le Rossignol éperdu (selections)

Stylistically French, Le Rossignol éperdue‘s impressionistic aura made it feel more like a predecessor to Debussy than the successor that it is.

Ms. Han played just 16 of its 53 poèmes due to the size of the work. I asked later how she chose which to play. Mostly, she selected the poèmes that she felt she played best.

Granados: Goyescas – El Amor y la Muerte

Yoonie Han with Robin Shoemaker

Yoonie with host Robin

After Hahn’s dreamy and occasionally cloying work, Granados’ more lugubrian fare with its Liszt-ian progressions was a well-chosen successor. Here Ms. Han had room to show more of her expressive range.

Encore: Clair de Lune (Debussy)

Composed in 1890, Debussy’s work was the earliest of the entire concert, yet it encapsulated our entire evening with Yoonie Han: reflective, evocative and beautifully delivered, but all too short.

Yoonie Han’s New CD

After the recital I purchased Yoonie Han’s new CD on the Steinway and Sons label. It contains the full cycle of Le Rossignol éperdue, only the second recording ever to do so.

When Ms. Han went to autograph her CD, it was difficult to find a place on the box. I suggest to Steinway and Sons that there should always be a place for the artist to write. After all, a CD is insufficient as a memento of a live performance. Fans want a little bit of the artist herself.

Filed Under: Concerts, Private Concerts Tagged With: Debussy, Gluck, Goyescas, Granados, New York, Reynaldo Hahn, Robin Shoemaker, Steinway and Sons, Yoonie Han

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