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Pianist Han Chen at Central Park West

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Robin Shoemaker with Han Chen, May 20th 2017

At the May 20th 2017 concert at the Shoemaker salon on Central Park West, Han Chen played romantic era works by Scriabin, Schubert and Liszt.  He also played the hybrid Bach-Busoni Chaconne. What a swoon-fest!

Bach-Busoni: Chaconne in D minor

Ferrucio Busoni’s arrangement of Bach’s ethereal Violin Partita No. 2 applies romantic piano technique to baroque underpinnings. Han Chen’s signature touch was to reign in Bach’s crescendos to a precise but somber procession of thunderclaps, and then cut loose to a hectic race into the high arpeggios.

The acoustics of the Shoemaker salon were perfect for this work, enriching and damping the dominant bass. And yet, there was a detached, clinical feel to Mr. Chen’s rubato that left me wanting less cultivated drama and more instinctive passion.

Scriabin: Fantasy, Op. 28

The Scriabin Fantasy in B minor Op. 28  is a sweeping, sonorous work. I enjoyed the oceanic feel delivered by Han Chen, and was struck by his ability to bring out the color in Scriabin’s complex harmonies.

Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy, Op. 15, D. 760

In the Schubert, as with the Scriabin, Han Chen again demonstrated nuanced partial-pedal coloring. At times his right hand seemed like a passel of faeries dancing tiptoe across the upper registers. At other times his Schubert sounded Schubertianly (sic) ponderous. This is somewhat the nature of the Wanderer Fantasy, coming from the early part of the romantic era.

Liszt: Sonata in B Minor

Han Chen plays Liszt at Central Park West

Han Chen plays Liszt chez Shoemaker

Punctuated at the beginning and the end by a low staccato G, the great Liszt B Minor piano sonata is about half an hour long. This demanding work is so well-known that it has to be delivered with compelling authority, and Han Chen had no difficulty doing so.

From its deceptively simple opening to its keyboard-cracking crescendos, the slight Mr. Chen was totally on top of Liszt’s Sonata and performed it with impressive power and panache. Liszt broke pianos while playing works such as this, so I had to wonder whether Mr. Chen’s hands hurt afterwards. My ears certainly did.

Han Chen

I had no idea what to expect of Han Chen, other than the technical excellence that we take for granted in Julliard musicians. But at the end of the day, Mr. Chen’s Liszt Sonata overshadowed the rest of his program. It left most of us stunned, and your reviewer’s ears ringing.

In his closing remarks, our host Robin Shoemaker noted that in just a few days Han Chen would be participating in the Van Cliburn Competition. We wish Mr. Chen the best of luck: he certainly seems up to the challenge.

Pianist Michael Bulychev-Okser at Central Park West

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Michael Bulychev-Okser with host Robin Shoemaker

Michael Bulychev-Okser with host Robin Shoemaker

I first saw Michael Bulychev-Okser while I was meeting other guests in the foyer of Mr. Shoemaker’s home at Central Park West. While many pianists seclude themselves backstage prior to performing, our pianist for this December evening stood nearby, friendly and engaged.

This was a good sign. At Mr. Shoemaker’s salon concerts there is no stage to elevate the pianist, and no stage lighting to isolate the performer. The pianist and the audience inhabit the same space, and Bulychev-Okser appeared ready to make the most of this.

Michael Bulychev-Okser

Bulychev-Okser is an enterprising and accomplished pianist and composer who began his studies in Russia and now lives in the United States. You can find his extensive bio on the web site of the Gershwin International Music Competition, which he founded and directs. He also founded the Alion Baltic International Music Festival.

Low-key Style

Mr. Bulychev-Okser’s low-key style made it easy for him to connect with his audience, despite his imposing résumé. He introduced each work to us, sometimes with humorous anecdotes, before playing it. At the keyboard, he did not indulge in theatrical gestures or other artifice to tell his audience how to feel: he just played his heart out for us.

The Program

The program was heavily weighted toward piano arrangements. Here is the detail, with links to representative YouTube videos.

  • Von Bulow, arr. Liszt – Dante “Tanto gentile e tanto onesta” S. 479
  • Glinka, arr. Balakirev – The Lark (Olga Scheps)
  • Brahms, arr. Schutt- Lullaby (Bulychev-Okser)
  • Arensky, arr. Siloti – By the Fountain (Zeynelova)
  • Alabyev, arr. Liszt – The Nightingale (Bulychev-Okser)
  • Kreisler, Arr. Rachmaninov – Liebeslied (Rachmaninov!)
  • Rachmaninov – Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33, No. 2 in C Major, No. 5 in D Minor
  • Bulychev-Okser – Hermes and Satire – Jazz Fantasy
  • Gershwin, arr. Wilde – The Man I love & Somebody Loves Me
  • Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue Potpourri

Russian

The repertoire was substantially Russian, from Balakirev/Glinka thru Arensky, Alabyev and Rachmaninov. And Bulychev-Okser himself came across as a seriously Russian pianist. No surprise there, given his Moscow Conservatory roots.

But if Bulychev-Oksner had not spoken to us in his melodic Russian accent, would his performance have felt so Russian? Was I deluding myself into perceiving the authenticity of Glinka/Balakirev’s plaintive Lark, Rachmaninov’s soulfulness, or the balalaika-like dance that breaks out around 2 minutes into The Nightingale? I don’t think so!

I’m used to softer versions of The Nightingale, but I loved how Bulychev-Okser threw himself into this piece. He made the floor shake and our ears ring. You don’t often see a world-class pianist stomping the sustain pedal as if he were wearing Cossack boots. In a less intimate performance space, everyone would have cheered.

American

It was harder for me to relate to the concluding elements of the program, including Bulychev-Okser’s own composition, because I don’t understand jazz. However I enjoy Gershwin, and looked forward to the Rhapsody in Blue Potpourri. Unfortunately the original work (here) outshines any substitute. So I was a little underwhelmed, through no fault of the pianist.

An Evening of Contrasts

The piano sang when Bulychev-Okser played Russian repertoire. When his program shifted from Russian to American it was more in keeping with his adopted country’s culture, but less compelling. While America is also my adopted country, I personally preferred Bulychev-Okser’s Russian material. Finally, I don’t think that anyone who attended will forget his floor-shaking Nightingale.

 

 

Pianist Soo Yeon Cho at Central Park West

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Soo Yeon Cho with Robin Shoemaker

Soo Yeon Cho with Robin Shoemaker

On Saturday 19th November, 2016, my daughter and I were privileged to see pianist Soo Yeon Cho at a private salon recital hosted by Robin Shoemaker in his home on Central Park West, New York.

Salon Concert

I had never been to a salon concert, so I was unsure what to expect. But our host welcomed us at his door and quickly put us at ease. With a glass of wine in hand, we enjoyed having time to connect with other guests.

The guests ranged from musicians to scientists, New Yorkers to Hungarians, and from as far away as Australia. It was inspiring to be among such a diverse audience, brought together by love of the piano. I am only sorry that there was not enough time to get to know everyone.

The Salon Concert was a different kind of experience from public recitals. I have had some great seats at Carnegie, but there is always a gulf, physical and emotional, between audience and performer. In Mr. Shoemaker’s salon we breathed the same air as the pianist, and there were no spotlights to differentiate her space from our space.

Robin Shoemaker's salon with Steinway

The salon entrance

The Salon

The recital was held in a room containing a Steinway and improvised seating for about 20. The walls were adorned with black-framed art that created a serene ambience.

During the intermission I was surprised to discover that more people had been seated in the corridor looking into the salon, and I was touched to see that our host had left the best salon seating for his guests.

Soo Yeon Cho

Ms. Cho is my piano tutor, so I was already aware of her skill and her prodigious resume. She has two degrees from Julliard, and many performance and competition successes. But being tutored by an accomplished pianist is very different from attending a professional recital by that pianist, and on this evening I finally got to understand just how good Ms. Cho was.

The Program

Our host provided a printed program for the event. The selection was well-architected, from the opening baroque thru romantics Chopin and Schubert, with a spike to Ginastera, and thence to the father of modern piano, Franz Liszt. Here is the detail, with links to other performances for readers unfamiliar with any items listed. The first link is to a prior performance by Ms. Cho herself.

The Performance

I have always thought of Domenic Scarlatti as one of “those” baroque composers that one has to whet one’s pianistic skills on out of duty more than preference. But Ms. Cho showed a special affinity for this composer and her performance brought him to life for me. Her G Major sonatas were vibrant, from the ringing K427 to the mania of K455. Her D Minor K213 sonata was haunted and moving, impressive for a composition that was born on the harpsichord.

I had been looking forward to Chopin’s C sharp Minor Nocturne (op. post.) as the highlight of the recital. It is one of my personal favorites, and as expected, Ms. Cho played it with consummate artistry.

Soo Yeon Cho at Central Park West, Nov. 2016

Ms. Cho after the recital

The Ginastera was an abrupt contrast to preceding selections. Ms. Cho tackled its challenging syncopation and rousing percussiveness with vigor. Then Schubert’s serene G Major Sonata returned us to the opening key of the evening, and to more traditional harmonies.

The recital ended with Liszt’s showpiece arrangement of Gounod’s Faust waltz (see this Vienna Philharmonic performance for the original). Here Ms. Cho showed impressive power at the keyboard, delivering an encore-like finale that brought closure to a great  evening.

A Memorable Evening

I don’t know how Mr. Shoemaker came to invite Soo Yeon Cho for his salon concert, but he chose well. As for Ms. Cho, I can’t imagine how much work she must have put into preparing for this recital. But it all worked so well that although we found ourselves in a hailstorm as we left the Shoemaker residence, we were so warm inside that it just didn’t matter.