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Kissin at Carnegie Hall May 2018

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Kissin taking bows Carnegie NYC May 2018

Kissin at Carnegie May 2018

On Sunday May 20th, 2018 we had the great fortune to see Evgeny Kissin perform at Carnegie Hall.

The main course was the great Beethoven Hammerklavier (Sonata no. 29 Op. 106), and for dessert there was a hearty serving of Rachmaninov Preludes.

Beethoven’s Sonata No 29 (Hammerklavier)

The Hammerklavier can be a difficult listen. When Yuja Wang played it at Carnegie in 2016, I felt like I had over-eaten. But under Kissin’s hands on this Sunday afternoon in New York, the edgy tapestry of disparate voices came together as a thing of great beauty.

There was none of the overblown rubato that I have called Kissin out for in the past. Nor was this performance at all ascetic. Everything about his Hammerklavier was in perfect balance, leaving the audience in awe. I felt that we were in the presence of greatness.

Selected Preludes (Rachmaninov)

The program contained some 10 Rachmaninov preludes. You can’t go wrong with Kissin and Rachmaninov, in my opinion. Among my favorites was Opus 23 no 2 in B flat major. As to Opus 32 no. 10 in B minor, I felt that his tempo was so slow as to be risky, but it worked.

Kissin’s Encores

Kissin's autograph on my CD

Kissin signed his CD for me

I like that Kissin announces his encores. Without this I would have not known the Scriabin or his own original composition. Rachmaninov’s C sharp minor prelude, however, needed no introduction. Here Kissin’s excellent YouTube recording.

I missed the last two encores because I stepped out early to get in line for the artist’s post-recital CD signing. There were far too many people in line for selfies, which was just as well after the marathon performance by Mr. Kissin. I was happy just to have my little piece of greatness to take home.

 

 

Yuja Wang at Carnegie – May 2016

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Yuja Wang at Carnegie Hall May 14th 2016

Yuja Wang comes on stage at Carnegie, May 14th 2016

On May 14th, 2016  I attended Yuja Wang’s recital at Carnegie Hall, with my wife Patti. This performance was the reason I became a Carnegie subscriber a year ago: I had to have great seats, and we did.

The last time I was at Carnegie was to see Kissin (reviewed here). For him, additional seats were placed on stage to squeeze in as many spectators as possible. Not so for Yuja Wang.

Since Ms. Wang’s recital was sold out, it surprised me that she had the stage to herself. I am sure that she was happy about that, however. It can’t be easy to have the audience intruding on your personal space when you are tackling such strenuous repertoire.

Yuja Wang’s Sparkle

People will tell you that Yuja Wang’s clothing has nothing to do with how well she plays, but this reviewer acknowledges that those fabulous outfits are part of Yuja’s brand. I would have been disappointed if she did not look like a diva. I was not disappointed: she walked out on stage in one of the most beautiful gowns I have ever seen. Its color reminded me of the pale salmon that I had across the street an hour earlier at the Europa Cafe (205 W 57th St., recommended). The gown didn’t just sparkle, it flared and outshone the highlights of the black Carnegie Steinway. You can get a hint of that from my photograph.

Brahms Ballade in D Minor

The recital opened with the Brahms’ Ballade in D Minor, Op. 10 No. 1. This was impressively sonorous, and for me the best part of the scheduled repertoire.  I settled back to absorb the rest of the evening, but when she moved on to Schumann’s Kreisleriana, I could not feel it. I can’t fault Ms. Wang: I personally have never gotten much out of Schumann.

Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata

After the intermission, Yuja showed up in a dramatic new gown – dark green with a saucy slit on the audience’s side, as seen in my wife’s photograph (credit Patti Turner). If you wanted skin, this was your moment. But while the dress shimmered, Yuja’s performance seemed a little off. The Adagio was haunting but the rest, to be honest, did not work for me. Perhaps she was dulled by playing the same German program again and again. Or perhaps the Hammerklavier is so complex and demanding, that it is as hard for the audience as it is for the soloist.

Yuja: I don’t know what to play!

After the end of the program I wondered which of Yuja’s legendary encores we would be treated to. I had had enough heavy repertoire, as had most everyone else. When Yuja returned to the piano for an encore, the hall was electric with anticipation. She sat at the keyboard for a few moments, then turned to the audience and said ruefully “I don’t know what to play!”

My heart went out to her. This had not been the most inspiring evening. This was partly due to the program, but in some intangible way it also came from the pianist herself. Maybe she just needed to burn some Rondo Alla Turca.

Gretchen am Spinnrade (Schubert, arr. Liszt)

From that moment on, we were treated to the gifted Yuja we love. I have never heard such a beautiful rendering of the Schubert/Liszt spinning wheel, Gretchen am Spinnrade. There are few pianists who can make me teary, but she did. Or watch it on medici.tv: a year’s subscription costs less than dinner for two in New York.

Carmen and Ronda Alla Turca

At this point it had been a long night for us and for the performer. If Yuja had called it quits, that would have been ok. But she came alive with her encores, and so did we. She gave us both Horowitz’s Carmen and the Mozart/Volodos Rondo Alla Turca. I’ve watched these many times on YouTube, but to see Yuja Wang in person, elbows stretched to both ends of the keyboard delivering these delights, was the treat of a lifetime.

Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor

Yuja Verbier 2010 red dress

Yuja, Verbier 2010

Ms. Wang played Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2 as her final encore. It was beautiful, especially the last 16 bars.

Most pianists do not bring out the descending right hand notes at the end of each bar (G, G, G, F, E, D, C, D). Kissin does, but Rubenstein, Horowitz and Ashkenazy do not. As written, the pedal comes off at the end of the bar, but Yuja holds her thumb down to sustain this note through the next bar. That’s definitely not what’s written, but it makes for a luminous sound. You can see her do this in her superlative Verbier 2010 video, starting right here.

Yuja Wang at Carnegie May 2016: sublime!

We saw two pianists at this event: Yuja Wang the professional who seemed weighed down by the main course, and Yuja Wang the star who lit up for dessert. The star was the Yuja whom I went to Carnegie to see.  She brings out the inner layers of familiar pieces in a way that makes me feel I am hearing them for the first time. At her best, she is sublime.

 

 

 

 

 

Kissin at Carnegie, November 2015

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Evgeny Kissin at NYC Carnegie Hall

Evgeny Kissin after playing Beethoven at Carnegie Hall, November 3rd, 2015

I saw Evgeny Kissin perform on November 3rd, 2015 at Carnegie Hall, with my daughter Annie. We had fabulous seats over stage right. Could not see the keyboard, but that didn’t matter.  I was not there to learn anything, I was there to enjoy and to remind myself just how far I still have to go as a pianist.

A few weeks before this event, I had attended a Lang Lang recital at Carnegie. I was surprised that my pianist friends were not so thrilled about Lang Lang. The message I got was yeah, sure, Lang Lang is good but he’s not Kissin. Since I thought Lang Lang was awesome, my expectations on this night were extremely high.

The Stern Auditorium was packed. There were even seats on stage for about 100 people. Kissin did not keep us waiting like Lang Lang, and his shoes did not call out for attention. This was a performer who had no need to sell himself. He bowed both to the audience in the main hall, and to the lucky souls behind the piano who had wangled a seat on stage. Somehow, I felt that I was in the presence of greatness.

Warm-up candy: Mozart

The recital opened with Mozart’s Sonata in C Major.  This was pleasant and precisely articulated, but not the kind of music I would go out of my way to listen to. For Mr. Kissin, it was good warm-up candy before going for the big stuff.

Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata

Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata came next.  In comparison with Mozart’s little kitty-cat, Beethoven was a tiger that allowed Kissin’s mastery to shine. With his shaggy hair, you could have imagined that he was Beethoven himself. I can’t describe for you the power that Kissin has, and what it was like to listen to him play this monster of a sonata, but it left me stunned. I don’t know who I admire more, good old Ludwig or this fabulous Russian pianist.

Kissin’s Brahms Intermezzo #1 – MEH!

After the intermission, Kissin played 3 Brahms Intermezzos. I am particularly fond of #1, but I was disturbed at what felt like excessive rubato in his rendition.   I suppose that the greatest pianist in the world is entitled to play it his own way, but my “gold standard” is the one at this link: J. Brahms, Intermezzo op. 117. no. 1, Virna Kljakovic.

The rest of the evening was mostly Spanish (Albeniz, Larregla) music, which at any other event would have been captivating, but for me the concert really ended after Beethoven’s Appassionata, since I felt let down by the Brahms. Not even the strong delivery of Larregla’s Viva Navarra could offset the feeling that Mr. Kissin, world’s greatest pianist, didn’t “get” the Brahm’s Intermezzo. I imagine that he would disagree, but unfortunately I didn’t get to chat with him afterwards.

The bow says everything

When Mr. Kissin took his bows on this November night at Carnegie, he came forward and stood, head tilted back for a few seconds, radiant and gracious in our applause, before bowing.  It was as if he were transformed by music, and we with him.