Gabriel Fauré Archives - ROVING PIANIST

Suejin Jung at Central Park West 2/15/2010

Suejin Jung, 2/15/2020 at Central Park West

Suejin Jung and Gustavo Miranda-Bernales

Pianist Suejin Jung brought a guest pianist to her February 15th recital at the Shoemaker Salon at Central Park West. Chilean pianist Gustavo Miranda-Bernales and Suejin took turns at the piano, ending with a four-handed duet.

Curtis Curtis-Smith: Etude No. 9

Gustavo Miranda-Bernales opened the recital with Curtis Curtis-Smith’s Etude #9 “for the Independent Rubato of the Right Hand”. A millenial work published in the year 2000, it quickly revealed its own unique and pleasant harmonic spatter. There were also hints of jazz and new age piano.

Debussy: Feux d’Artifice

Gustavo Miranda-Bernales plays Debussy

Debussy’s Feux d’Artifice (“fireworks”) is a swirling, percussive drama. Mr. Miranda-Bernales gave a clear, jagged rendition, climaxing with a gut-punch from the bottom A of the Shoemaker Steinway, followed by a searing glissando and then fading away over a distant thunder of rolling bass.

Published in 1913, the work now appears to herald the opening salvos of the First World War.

Debussy: Étude 7 pour les degrés chromatiques

Suejin Jung played this challenging étude with ease. Musically, it felt somewhat harsh and unrewarding, but as a technical exercise it was impressive.

Debussy: Préludes, Book 1

Suejin Jung played the following well-known preludes from Book 1. I particularly appreciated the first, Les sons et les parfums. Apropos of nothing, Les sons ends with the same bottom A that I mentioned in Mr. Bernales’ Feux d’Artifice.

Franz Schubert: Fantasie in C major Op. 15 “Wanderer”

Schubert’s restless, charming Fantasie contains hints of the darker edge of his later sonatas. But even in Gustavo Miranda-Bernales’ commanding hands, it could not rise to the level of e.g. the great D 960 sonata in B flat Major.

Nevertheless, MIranda-Bernales’ compelling execution of this difficult work earned him raucus applause.

Frédéric Chopin: Sonata No. 3 in B minor

Robin Shoemaker, Gustavo Morales and Suejin Jung

Robin, Gustavo and Suejin

Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor Op. 58 is like a tray of jewels spread in front of the listener. How can one describe such glittering beauty and magical craft?

I was struck by how balanced Suejin Jung’s presentation was. Each movement and every section felt not too hot and not too cold, but just right. Her Largo was exquisitely paced and luminous, Chopin at his most sublime.

And even the galloping Presto, which opens with weighty romanticism reminiscent of Schubert, was reined back sufficiently by Suejin that it morphed from manic to majestic.

For this reviewer, Suejin Jung’s Chopin was the highlight of the evening. It was still playing in my head on the long ride home.

Encore: Fauré Le Pas Espagnol

Le Pas Espagnol is the last section of Faure’s Dolly Suite for four-hand piano. For this rousing Spanish dance, the pianists sat together with Gustavo playing the primo (upper) part. It was a delightful way to close the evening, leaving everyone with a smile on their face.

Gloriosa Trio with Karen LeFrak and the Gloriosa Trio CD

On Tuesday October 15th, 2019, the Gloriosa Trio performed at Robin Shoemaker’s Central Park West salon.

The Trio comprises pianist Yoonie Han, violinist Eric Silberger and cellist Kevin Bate. They recently released their first CD (Centaur Records).

The program consisted of various items by Gabriel Fauré including 3 of Gloriosa Trio’s own arrangements. It also included a work by New York composer Karen LeFrak, who was present at the concert.

Fauré: Sicilienne Op. 78

Kevin Bate in action

This piece was originally written for piano and cello. It was later orchestrated by the composer and became part of his Pelléas et Mélisande suite. Various other arrangements exist, including one by Gloriosa Trio.

The Trio played their own cello-forward arrangement. Piano and violin weaved a poignant atmosphere around Kevin Bate’s strong but tender cello. In this arrangement the violin picked up some phrases that the piano carries in the original, adding a touch more color and sweetness.

LeFrak: Gloriosa

Composer Karen LeFrak with the Trio after they performed Gloriosa

When musicians play your work: Karen LeFrak with Gloriosa Trio

Karen LeFrak’s Gloriosa premiered in 2015. It shares some of the wistful atmosphere of Fauré’s century-old music, making for a good program fit.

The work itself was evocative and at times playful, worthy of further listening.

The composer and musicians embraced after playing her composition.

Fauré: Pavane, Op 50

Fauré’s Pavane seemed tailor-made for Gloriosa Trio. It is sad but not tragic. It is also exquisitely French, beautiful to the edge of sentimentality.

At first the pizzicato-like piano accompaniment felt a little strong. But I came to realize that those staccato arpeggios were the heartbeat of this delightful oeuvre. They bring tension and motion to this otherwise soft and gentle work.

Fauré: Trois mélodies Op. 7 No. 1 “Après un Rêve”

This is a short and beautiful song, arranged by Gloriosa Trio for their instruments. For comparison, here is a link to the vocal version as sung by New Zealand fully lyric soprano Kiri Te Kanawa.

Fauré: Piano Trio Op. 120

The Piano Trio was the only Fauré composition of the evening that the Gloriosa Trio had not themselves arranged. It is a late work, completed in 1923.

Compared with the music played earlier, the Piano Trio was relatively ascetic. This reviewer found it to be pleasant but a little diffuse. It is evidently a composition that requires repeat listening.

Gloriosa Trio

Gloriosa Trio is an excellent piano trio, despite their relatively infrequent collaborations. Their concert at the Shoemaker Salon was delectable, and Fauré’s music seemed tailor-made for them. Their arrangements were clean and true to the original, to the point that they could have been written by composer himself.

We have seen pianist Yoonie Han at the Shoemaker salon before, see this review.

Kevin Bate, Yoonie Han, Robin Shoemaker, Eric Silberger 10/15/2019

Pianist Suejin Jung at Central Park West