Mussorgsky Archives - ROVING PIANIST

Pianist Cong Bi’s Carnegie Debut

Saturday, April 13th, 2019 by Ken Leave a Comment

Cong Bi’s Carnegie Hall Debut

On April 12th 2019, Chinese pianist Cong Bi strolled on stage in Carnegie’s Zankel Hall for his Carnegie debut.

Relaxed and confident, he looked dashing in patent leather shoes, blue jacket and grey-ish pants.

A tall man with shoulder-length hair, Cong Bi stood with his hand over his heart for a few moments, prompting shrieks from the audience.

The last male pianist whom I saw have this effect at Carnegie was Korean superstar Seon Jin Cho.

Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 Op 57 (Appassionata)

This work was a bold opening gambit for Cong Bi’s Carnegie debut. He engaged the allegro assai with the conviction that we expect from a seasoned performer. However his arpeggios seemed rushed. That which should have glittered was too often blurry.

If Cong Bi overreached during the first movement, he made amends with his authentic andante con moto. This reviewer appreciated the left hand voicing in particular.

Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze, Op 6

Cong Bi Carnegie Debut April 2019 Sold Out

Cong Bi – SOLD OUT!

Cong Bi’s rendition of this work was generally balanced and sweet, occasionally flamboyant. Since the works of Schumann mostly leave this reviewer unmoved, it would not be fair to the performer to comment further.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Cong Bi’s Pictures started cautiously and swelled into magnificence. This work can so easily become ponderous, but Cong Bi is not that kind of pianist. I appreciated his engaged, powerful delivery and excellent sense of timing.

However, we could have done without Cong Bi’s abrupt “pointing backwards” arm gestures! These attempts at pianistic drama did not work because they felt inauthentic. For this reviewer, only Lang Lang can get away with such gratuitous posturing.

Cong Bi jokes with his Carnegie audience April 12, 2019

Encores: Bach

The first encore was a pleasant Bach work that nobody I spoke to could identify.

The second encore was Bach’s Prelude in C Major, BWV 846. Cong Bi played this deceptively simple work with divine translucence.

I’ve commented before on how pianists’ encore choices can be revealing. At the end of the day, Cong Bi did not go for a showpiece. Instead, he went for the sublime.

After the closing bars of Bach, the pianist played a very short jazzy riff. I took this as a youthful gesture of victory: “I got this”! But maybe it was just for the young women who gave him flowers.

Closing thoughts

Cong Bi is an impressively self-assured and promising young pianist, at ease on stage and able to joust with his audience. In his Carnegie debut he showed himself to be equally at home with Beethoven’s raging Appassionata, Mussorgsky’s monumental Pictures, and Bach at his most ethereal. Watching him reminded me of the Washington Post article The Future of Classical Music is Chinese.

Cong Bi got better and better as the evening went on, but after the intermission I noticed a few empty seats. If only these people had stayed, they would have been rewarded with a stirring performance of Mussorgsky and some magical Bach. And of course, that cheeky riff!

My personal thanks to producer Qianci Liu for inviting me to this most enjoyable recital, and to the Paulus Hook Music Foundation for making it possible.

Pianist Zhenni Li and Partners at Central Park West

Saturday, October 6th, 2018 by Ken Leave a Comment

Zhenni Li addressing her salon audience

On the evening of October 6th 2018, Robin Shoemaker’s salon was full to capacity. We had come to see pianist Zhenni Li perform both as a soloist and in collaboration with Matthew Cohen (viola),

The program started and ended with works by Beethoven and Mussorgsky. An interesting mix of early 20th century pieces fleshed out the middle.

We were not familiar with some of these works, but Ms. Li introduced each item to us.

Beethoven: 32 Variations in C minor

This work is quintessential Beethoven, vigorous and lean. While Beethoven purportedly was unhappy with the result, Zhenn Li’s rendition was strong and satisfying.

Debussy: Poissons d’Or

Debussy’s short work is playful and at the same time beautiful. In Ms. Li’s nimble hands it was a delightful contrast to the solemnity of Beethoven’s variations.

Edwin York Bowen: Phantasy for Viola and Piano, Op. 54

Matthew Cohen

For York Bowen, Ms. Li partnered with Matthew Cohen (viola). While the work is not so well-known, there are a number of performances on YouTube including one by Mr Cohen himself, working with pianist Vivian Fan: Bowen Phantasy.

If Mussorgsky’s Picture at an Exhibition is a set of imposing oil paintings, York Bowen’s Phantasy is a pastoral water-color.

At times the composer gets lost in his English meadows. But he also manages a sublime lyricism that allowed Matthew Cohen’s potent vibrato to sing. And as Ms. Li noted, there were echoes of Rachmaninov near the end.

Albéniz: Navarra

One of Albeniz’ pupils finished this work after Albeniz passed away. Before playing it, Zhenni Li challenged us to identify point where the student took over. Then she played this lively and very Spanish music with passion, at times throwing her head back as if transported.

The late Alicia de Larrocha gave a legendary performance of this work in 1968.

Arthur Lourié: Préludes Fragiles Op.1, No. 4

This impressionistic prelude was one of a suite of 5 written early in the 20th century by Russian composer Arthur Lourié. Although written long before Lourié moved to France, it sounds somewhat French to your reviewer. You can view Zhenni’s recording of it at Arthur Lourié: Prélude #4 from Cinq Préludes Fragile, Op. 1 – Zhenni Li, Piano.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

To enhance our appreciation, host Robin provided a slide show containing paintings and other visuals for each section of Mussorgsky’s work. While the piece is best known in Ravel’s orchestration, Mussorgsky’s original piano version has become more popular lately. While some may find the work ponderous, Zhenni Li’s interpretation used iridescent harmonics to add magic to this magnificent work.

Encore: Piazzola’s Oblivion

Matthew, Zhenni and Bela cue for Piazzola

At the close of the recital. Zhenni Li announced a surprise guest and a special encore.

Violinist Bela Horvath then joined with Zhenni and Matthew to play Piazzola‘s 1982 tango Oblivion.

Some consider this work to be among the most beautiful music ever written. The performance was rapturous, and drew cheers from the audience.

It’s not just the performers

It’s neat to meet musicians who perform at Mr. Shoemaker’s concerts. But the salon experience is not just about watching people play and meeting them afterwards. It’s also about the program.

Often, there is music that we are not familiar with. At Zhenni Li’s recital, I discovered Astor Piazzola, the Argentine composer who wrote Oblivion. Piazzola is known for revitalizing the tango by adding jazz and other elements to form nuevo tango. This led me order a CD of his 1987 Central Park Concert.

Thank you Robin, Zhenni and partners, for broadening our musical horizons.

Khatia Buniatishvili enchants Carnegie, 2016

Saturday, December 10th, 2016 by Ken Leave a Comment

Khatia Buniatishvili Carnegie 2016-12-10

On Saturday December 10th, 2016, my wife Patti and I went into New York early to stop in at Europa Cafe (205 W 57th St., recommended) before Khatia Buniatishvili’s recital at Carnegie Zankel.

The program

The repertoire for this recital was distinguished by its grandeur and virtuosity, consisting only of Mussorgsky and Liszt. It was a program of sheer audience indulgence, performed by the strikingly beautiful pianist from the Republic of Georgia.

Khatia Buniatishvili

Khatia Buniatishvili is one of the finest younger pianists that I have discovered through YouTube. Her Vernier rendition of Chopin’s E minor Prelude (Op.28 No. 4), a slow cataclysm wrapped in angel cake, is a standout performance that made her a must-see when it came time to choose a Carnegie subscription for 2016.

For Carnegie, Khatia wore a charcoal evening gown and matte black heels. She walked with grace and had a warm, embracing smile. Her stately carriage continued when she sat. I don’t think I have seen a performer with a straighter back at the piano than Ms. Buniatishvili. It felt to me like we were in the presence of musical royalty.

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition

This piece is best known in Ravel’s orchestration, and some find the original piano score to be ponderous. But under Ms. Buniatishvili’s hands this evening, the Russkaya Dusha of Mussorgsky came through in a way that Ravel’s orchestration does not capture.

From the opening, the pianist used just the right amount of rubato to keep alive phrases that can easily become leaden. Her extensive use of una corda and rapid half-pedal on the sustain (wonderful what you can learn when you are up close) made the more reflective segments glow like the black Steinway did under the Zankel stage lighting.

On the stronger sections the pianist did everything well, but the Carnegie Steinway seemed brassy at the lower end. This had me wondering if we would have been better off with the rounder bass of a Yamaha. But perhaps it was just the acoustics.

Liszt: La Campanella, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

There were four Liszt items on the program, and with each one Ms. Buniatishvili got closer to perfection. I will discuss only the last two: La Campanella and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.

Khatia’s La Campanella was a treat. That said, the top notes seemed too loud compared with the rest of the right hand, which is not the case in her recordings. But I was just 12 feet from the right side of the keyboard, which may have contributed to this.

Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 was, for both my wife and myself, the peak of the evening. It is an exciting virtuoso piece, and was carried off with such vigor and natural feel that it was a perfect conclusion to the program. Here is a link to Khatia’s 2015 Verbier performance, but I thought that her 2016 Carnegie Zankel performance was even better.

Oh, Khatia!

If Ms. Buniatishvili’s entrance to Zankel Hall was stately, her departure was also gracious. She preferred a simple pianist bow, sometimes with left hand on the piano, and she made a point of looking to all the audience, including upstairs and to each side. She also made direct eye contact with me in the front row, which just about blew me out of my chair.

No review of Ms. Buniatishvili would be complete without mentioning her hair. Whenever Khatia plays you will see those ragged curls fall over her eyes. Since her eyes are more often than not closed, this has no effect on her performance. We see that the performer is lost in her art, and we love her all the more for that.

What was that encore?

Khatia’s encore was delightful and familiar but other than recognizing it as Bach, I could not name it. Waiting in line after the concert to meet the artist, I conferred with my neighbors but none of us were sure. I later learned that we know it as “Sheep may safely graze”, from Bach’s Cantata BWV 208. Listen to it in the following video from an earlier Paris performance, where she appears to be wearing the same dress that she wore for Carnegie.

My piano is your piano

Khatia Buniatishvili and the Author at Carnegie

Whenever I go to Carnegie I hope to meet the performer, but this is the first time I succeeded. Newly purchased CD’s in hand to be autographed, I had no coherent way to express what I was feeling! But I am sure that Ms. Buniatishvili is used to goofy grins from people who find themselves in the presence of unique talent and are just happy to be there.

My piano is your piano, Khatia.