Tchaikovsky Archives - ROVING PIANIST

Denis Matsuev Overwhelms Carnegie

Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019 by Ken Turner

Denis Matsuev

Denis Matsuev strode on to the Carnegie stage on Sunday October 20th, 2019.

Well over 6 feet tall, he looked powerful and solid, the proverbial Russian bear.

Outside Carnegie, a group of protesters chanted in Russian that Matsuev supports war. But surely there are more effective ways to critique Russian foreign policy than harassing a world-class pianist!

Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor

Liszt’s Sonata opens with a deep pulse in the Steinway’s chocolately low end. Matsuev paced this perfectly. Then it explodes into drama and episodic wandering, interspersed with archetypally Liszt-ian hammering climaxes.

This is a self-consciously great work. It is difficult for the pianist to imbue it with gravitas, because the work is patchy and wanders a lot. In Matsuev’s hands it felt harmonically muddy and sometimes rushed. For comparison, here is a recording of Marta Argerich.

The Roving Pianist Concert Clown award goes to the man who stood and started clapping before the last notes died away.

Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 S. 514

The Mephisto Waltz gives the pianist more to work with. It is an adventurous, lively work and Matsuev was wholly on top of it, sometimes to excess. Again there was some rushing. To be fair, the audience wanted a virtuoso performance and Matsuev obliged. At times the piano shook visibly from his raw power. This was the Matsuev machine we had come to see, a massive performance that brought the audience to its feet.

Tchaikovsky: Dumka in C minor Op. 59

Denis Matsuev with flowers Carnegie 2019

Tchaikovsky’s symphonies and concertos are the core of this cinematic Russian composer’s public image. Piano-lovers are familiar with his The Seasons. The Dumka is less well-known. It combines oh-so-Russian descending minor progressions with a dance that alternately sounds like fairies and trolls. Alas the dancers are unable to rise above the beautiful gloom.

From a pianist famed for how much noise he can get out of a piano, Matsuev’s Dumka was an unexpected treasure.

Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka

Here again was a percussive showpiece for Matsuev to strut his stuff. I’ve heard many pianists play Stravinsky, and Matsuev’s rendition was one of the more impressive. But my response was muted because by then my appetite for hammering was overshadowed by the need to hear something more fulfilling.

Encores

Like Yuja Wang at Carnegie in 2016, Denis Matsuev really came alive with his encores.

As I have mentioned to other concert pianists, the audience may not recognize your encores. Even just naming the composer will help us figure it out. But Matsuev did not talk to us, and I recognized only two of his four encores. Later I identified the Sibelius by browsing recordings of Matsuev. Of the remaining unidentified encore, I can only say that it was light and possibly Russian.

Rachmaninov Études-Tableaux Op. 39 No. 2 in A minor

Rachmaninov was, for this reviewer, the highlight of Matsuev’s recital. It was lighter in the left hand than I prefer, but still had that heart-bursting cacophonous climax that I first heard played by the young Russian pianist Ivan Gusev.

Sibelius Etude No. 2 from Thirteen Pieces, Op. 76

I did not recognize this encore, but I could tell it was Russian. Wrong! Although it could pass for a Russian sailors’ hornpipe, it turned out to have been Sibelius. Not so far off geographically, I suppose.

Grieg-Ginzburg In the Hall of the Mountain King

Matsuev’s last encore was the Ginzburg arrangement of In the Hall of the Mountain King from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. Matsuev sauced it up by playing the declamatory first note and extending the subsequent pause while chuckling with the audience. There followed an unashamedly hammered, ridiculously over-speed performance that was breathtaking to watch.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this concert, but I wish that Denis Matsuev had chosen a more integrated Liszt work, e.g. Harmonies du Soir. Compared with Rachmaninov’s Études-Tableaux, Liszt’s B minor Sonata seemed like a waste of Matsuev’s talent. If his audience wants him to hammer the piano, Rachmaninov offers plenty options.

Grace Park and Joseph Liccardo at Central Park West

Monday, November 5th, 2018 by Ken Turner

Grace Park playing a 1799 Nicolas Lupot violin at Central Park West

Grace Park with the 1799 Lupot violin

Grace Park and Joseph Liccardo

On Saturday November 3rd, 2018, violinist Grace Park and pianist Joseph Liccardo performed at Robin Shoemaker’s Central Park West salon.

My anticipation of this event grew when I learned that Ms. Park was playing a 1799 Nicolas Lupot violin.

Mozart: Sonata for Violin and Piano in E flat Major K. 481

The first movement contains lively dialog between violin and piano. Ms. Park and Mr. Liccardo maintained an apparently effortless coordination, allowing the Molto Allegro to flow naturally across the movement’s choppy phrasing.

In the Adagio, Ms. Park’s violin rose gracefully (sic) over the accompaniment, first as a slow dance and then to sing. In her hands this violin shone in the higher registers.

Overall, Mozart’s Sonata No. 33 was a well-balanced collaboration between two musicians who clearly loved what they were doing.

Brahms: Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in A major Op. 100

This warm, entertaining work was at times expressively lyrical. At other times it was technically demanding. In fact, the Sonata was a showpiece for both musicians.

In that regard, there were moments when Joseph’s piano sounded as sweet as Grace’s exotic violin. And I enjoyed Ms. Park’s vibrant pizzicato immensely.

Neither musician wasted energy on superfluous showmanship. But I had to chuckle when Brahms got the violinist dancing around (apparently on bare feet).

Grace Park with Joe Liccardo and Robin Shoemaker

Joseph, Grace and Robin Shoemaker

Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d’un lieu cher Op. 42

Souvenir is a wonderfully Russian work and quintessential Tchaikovsky.

There are pounding rhythms reminiscent of the 3rd movement of the 6th Symphony, and soaring melodies. The performers were equally at ease with both.

And again, the collaboration between pianist and violinist was perfect.

Stravinsky: Divertimento for Violin and Piano after ‘The Fairy’s Kiss’

This work is Stravinsky’s derivation (with violinist Samuel Dushkin) from his own orchestral ballet “The Fairy’s Kiss”, which in turn was based on songs by Tchaikovsky.

That said, Divertimento is very much Stravinsky’s own unique work, with manic dance rhythms and echoes of his other compositions.

Notwithstanding that they had already been playing for an hour, Mr. Liccardo and Ms. Park engaged Stravinsky with vigor and enthusiasm. The result was a highly enjoyable and often compelling performance.

Nicolas Lupot Violin

Some refer to Lupot as the “French Stradivarius”. I didn’t know what to expect of such a unique instrument as his 1799 violin from Paris, but I noticed a particular sweetness in the upper middle register.

Later I asked Ms. Park what it is like for her to play the Lupot. She responded that the instrument is in perfect condition, very responsive to the performer, and crystal clear especially at the top end.

“It sparkles differently than a Strad”, she said. “I love it.”

Lang Lang at Carnegie, October 2015

Monday, October 26th, 2015 by Ken Turner

Lang Lang

I saw Lang Lang 3 days ago at Carnegie Hall on Friday October 23^rd, 2015. It was a memorable evening, so I wanted to share the experience here.

The concert was scheduled for 8:30 pm, but Lang Lang did not come on stage until 10 minutes later. When he walked out, I was struck by how thin he was. Not unhealthy, just fit and stylish.

His shoes were pointed and shiny, maybe patent leather. His pants were the style of today’s young men, narrow-legged, slim around the ankles. They reminded me of what we used to call “drainpipes” in the 1960’s. My school banned them because they reflected the evils of rock-and-roll.

Tchaikovsky “The Seasons”

Lang Lang’s performance was superlative from the beginning. Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, which was new to me, was rendered beautifully. The Russian dances that pop up during this piece (e.g. February) were a little muddy, but that’s the composer’s fault. As to June, I recognized and loved it instantly. Under Lang Lang’s hands it was a cross between Chopin and Brahms. You can find it at around 18:30 in this video.

Johann Sebastian Bach Italian Concerto, BWV 971

I am not going to comment on this delectable piece. Lang Lang played it beautifully, there is not much else to say.

Chopin Scherzo’s

The Chopin Scherzo’s came after the Intermission and were the highlight of the evening. Lang Lang’s playing can only be described as bravura. This man can attack the piano and get away with it, because he is technically impeccable. I have never enjoyed Scherzo #2 as much as I did at this recital. The following video of him playing this Scherzo is comparable to what he did for us , but at Carnegie his performance was sharper and cleaner, going beyond anyone I have seen play live.

Encore: Ponce “Intermezzo”

Lang Lang’s first encore, the Ponce Intermezzo, was adorable. I have to add this to my repertoire! If you don’t know it, try this YouTube rendition by Glenda Courtois.

Lang Lang the Showman

What else do I remember? Lang Lang’s signature sharp head movements, his face turned up and towards the audience, his skinny legs splayed wide, those elvish pointy shoes. He pedalled soft and sostenuto at the same time during the Tchaikovsky. In the Chopin scherzo’s, he was speed-pedaling as if am spinnrade.

I just had to love Lang Lang’s unique (as far as I know) way of whipping his right hand back and down from the keyboard, as if he were kneepcapping a man standing behind him. And good grief, how he hammered out those big Chopin scherzo’s! Lang Lang is a slight man, so I understand how the larger Franz Liszt would break a piano while performing.

Lang Lang loves his audience. He embraced us collectively with warm gestures before sitting down at the piano. When he took his bows at the end of each segment, and at the end of each Chopin scherzo, he put one leg (with its pointy shoe) forward and bowed deep from the waist. His hand went over his heart again and again. He raised his arms to us at the left, the center, and the right. I felt such rapport with this masterful pianist, because he knew what he was uniquely able to give us, and he knew that we loved every minute.