|
RECITAL REVIEW
Subtle and Dramatic November 2, 2001
|
By Thomas Schultz
It was a pleasant surprise to encounter as a program opener Schubert's Fantasy in F minor, D.940, almost a shock to hear the quiet beauty of its opening phrases as the initial musical sounds of the piano four-hands recital by Arianna Goldina and Remy Loumbrozo at Old First Church Friday evening. Although the Fantasy is generally considered to be a masterpiece, it's still an unexpected pleasure to find music of this depth written for piano duo.
Both Goldina and Loumbrozo (based in New York) are active players, constantly expressive, always producing a rich tone across the entire range of the instrument. The concert was a real musical conversation between the two and, at times, even seemed like the playing-out of a very personal musical/dramatic scenario. They are especially responsive to the inherent drama of the music's harmonies and are never hesitant to make abundant use of rubato and dynamic inflection in the shaping of phrases. It was only during the Schubert that I wished they might let the music speak more for itself.
Rachmaninoff's Six Duets for Piano, Op.11 possesses that combination of pervading melancholy, dark instrumental timbre and rhythmic invention (at times almost Ligeti-like) unique to this composer. I didn't expect the sudden appearance of a wild virtuosity in such modestly titled pieces. Goldina in particular, playing the treble part, brought this aspect of the music to the fore. These pieces are also filled with broad, long-breathed melodies, interwoven sometimes three or four at a time. A soloist is often pushed to the limits of pianism by the task of keeping these lines clear but the duo piano setting is perfectly suited for this sort of writing. Goldina and Loumbrozo gave a performance of great complexity, tonal variety, and technical brilliance. After using the score for the Schubert, they played the Six Duets (and the rest of the concert) from memory.
After intermission, the duo played Ravel's Rapsodie espagnole in its preliminary piano duo version, which Ravel eventually transformed into the work for full orchestra. This was a very fine, subtle, and at times spectacular performance. A myriad of musical atmospheres, constantly shifting and interpenetrating, was created, from the extravagent colors and perfumes of Spanish music (malagueña, habañera) and the mysteriously static quality of "Prélude à la nuit" to the evocative collage of "Feria." The program was brought to a close with Liszt's Les Préludes, in an arrangement made by the composer in 1858 for piano duet (the final version of the orchestral score appeared in 1854). The pianists' demonstrative, extroverted playing made the piece as enjoyable to listen to as the well-known orchestral original. Again, they produced a wealth of tonal colors, including some bright, strident sounds that they hadn't used until then. While listening to Les Préludes, I couldn't help thinking that, as much as I enjoyed the excitement of Liszt's romantic heroism, it might have been better to hear something written more recently; music with a sparse texture, or a touch of astringency, a tone of skepticism. Viewed in the most critical way, the program I'd just heard was largely an exercise in cultural nostalgia. Shouldn't a musical program, in order to be a vibrant element of the society, reflect at least in part its own time and culture? Such a program for piano duo could be chosen from a great wealth of repertoire. Those present for such a program (both musicians and audience) could have thoughts and sensations set in motion by the rubbing together of old and new.
This is a problem that needs to be faced most squarely by pianists. Because of the overwhelming scope, richness, and variety of the piano literature, pianists rarely feel the necessity to explore anything beyond what they already know so comfortably. It's especially important that the most sensitive and brilliant pianists (like the pair in Friday's concert) acquaint themselves and their audiences with music written within the last 75 or 80 years (numbers it is almost embarrassing to put down on the page). The most recent piece on this concert, the Ravel, was composed in 1907-1908. Now a program of works by Schubert, Rachmaninoff and Ravel, with a final work like Satie's Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear, Stravinsky's duo version of The Rite of Spring, Hindemith's Sonata, Christian Wolff's For One, Two or Three Players or Duet I, Cage's Winter Music or one of Feldman's early works for piano duo — how interesting that would be! (Thomas Schultz is a pianist and a member of the faculty at Stanford University.) ©2001 Thomas Schultz, all rights reserved |