|
RECTIAL REVIEW
Katherine Jacobson October 7, 2006
|
Masterful Against All Odds By Anatole Leikin
We are fascinated with musicians who not only overcome tremendous obstacles that appear imminently ready to destroy their careers, but who somehow manage to turn such stumbling blocks into stepping stones. The deaf percussionist-wonder Evelyn Glennie is one famous example. Beethoven, of course, is another. Leon Fleisher — who in 1952 became the first American to win the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium competition and who was on his way to becoming one of the leading pianists of the 20th century — suddenly lost the use of his right hand in 1965. He turned to conducting, teaching, and a meager piano repertory for the left hand. Finally, after about 35 years of various medical treatments (including, most recently, Botox injections), Fleisher was able to play with both hands again.
On Saturday night at San Jose’s Le Petit Trianon there were no pieces for left hand alone. The program featured music for two hands in the first half and for four hands in the second half. More does not necessarily mean better, however, and the concert confirmed the wisdom of this adage.
The solo portion of the program was a partial preview of Fleisher’s upcoming recital at Carnegie Hall. The pianist apparently constructed the first half of the concert as a three-part composition. Bach’s capriccio On the Departure of a Beloved Brother was introduced by Bach’s aria Sheep May Safely Graze from Cantata No. 208 (arranged for piano by Egon Petri). This was followed by Stravinsky’s neoclassic Serenade in A. The final piece before intermission, Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, was introduced by yet another piano arrangement, this time by Myra Hess, of Bach’s ever popular Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.
The Bach-Stravinsky-Bach configuration fit together well, and Fleisher’s performance was thoughtful and analytically thorough. In both of Bach’s arrangements, he elicited captivating organ sonorities with contrasting timbres and leisurely breathing phrases from the Steinway. (The nine-foot beauty is a fairly recent and welcome arrival at Le Petit Trianon. Unfortunately, on Saturday night more than a few keys jangled frightfully.)
In the capriccio, the ponderous organ approach to the piano was quite successful in the doleful slow movements. Fleischer’s remarkable tone control and plaintive melodic utterances turned the first three movements of the capriccio into an embodiment of grief. The last two movements normally transform the capriccio into a sparkling and cheery affair. But in Fleisher’s hands the music never smiled, let alone laughed, and the humorous turnaround simply did not happen. Similarly, the mournful episodes in the Chromatic Fantasy sounded compelling. The rest, however, did not reach that crucial level of electrifying intensity without which the piece remains flat and meandering. Stravinsky’s Serenade in A was the highpoint of the evening. Written in 1925 but reflecting the 18th century musical idiom, the four-movement work was carefully calculated to fit a set of two 10-inch 78 rpm records. It was gratifying to hear how Fleisher would effortlessly slip into a candid old-fashioned sentiment and then catch himself with an ironic double take. In the Romanza, gracefully chiseled melodic curves were set against an acerbic running commentary in the left hand. Both the perpetual motion of the Rondoletto and the gentle farewell of the Cadenza finala were masterfully delineated. After intermission, the pianist Katherine Jacobson joined her husband in four-hands duets: Schubert’s Fantasy in F Minor, D. 940, and Ravel’s La Valse arranged for four hands by Lucien Garbon. Jacobson played the first part, which seemed to be a questionable decision. She has a peculiar manner of turning the melodic phrase. The lighter notes that lead toward a climactic point are heavily pressed, while the climactic point itself comes in hardly audible. As a special effect, it is an interesting rhetorical device. But when used routinely, such incessant teasing becomes rather unsettling. La Valse was more satisfying than the Schubert thanks to Fleisher’s marvelous rumbling effects in the low bass and his infectious rhythmic swirls, as well as the confident way the duo brought the brilliant piece to its rousing conclusion. For an encore the pair switched places. With Fleisher playing the top part, the melodic integrity was restored, and William Bolcom’s sweet, melancholy ragtime Graceful Ghost received a charming reading.
(Anatole Leikin is a professor of music at UC Santa Cruz. His articles have appeared in various musicological journals and essay collections, and he has recorded the piano music of Chopin and Scriabin. He also serves as an editor for The Complete Chopin: A New Critical Edition (Peters Edition, London) and is writing a book about Scriabin’s performing style for Ashgate Publishing.)
|
Leon Fleisher
