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RECITAL REVIEW
Calculated Brilliance at the Piano
April 12, 2001
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By John McCarthy
Pianist Andreas Haefliger presented an intriguing program of episodic works by Schumann and Mussorgsky last Thursday evening at Herbst Theater. While the whole was less than the sum of its parts, sincere conviction and pianistic panache offered their own kinds of reward.
Schumann's Papillons, Op. 2, is a piece to which many are called but few are chosen. Virtually every aspiring pianist has tackled this chestnut at some time, and it was a pleasure to hear, for once, a fully professional performance. Haefliger's self-conscious point-making and theatrics, however, could not compensate for his lack of mellowness and simplicity. He seemed self-absorbed, and only occasionally did he appear willing to communicate anything genuinely personal.
Remarkable technical assuredness and appropriate affective shifts aside, Haefliger simply did not move me. The chiming clock at the end and the receding revel brought the piece to a wonderful conclusion; the F-sharp minor "Boot" was heavy; the E-flat major "Zig zag" zigzagged. But where was the magic, the indiscretion of Jean Paul's novel Flegeljahre ("Years of Indiscretion"), on which Papillons is based? Though thoughtful and at times elegant, this Papillons lacked whimsy and gossamer lightness.
In the same composer's Davidbündlertänze, Op. 6, which followed, Haefliger played with an affecting beauty of phrase; inner voices sang out, and there were moments of quiet beauty. Yet so much seemed calculated for effect; so much drew more attention to the pianist than to the music. An extrovert, mercurial Florestan put in a much more convincing appearance than did wide-eyed Eusebius. After intermission, Haefliger presented Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. It was obvious that this music presented a more emotionally satisfying outlet for him. Tremendous atmosphere and sense of timing made for an imaginative, musically penetrating performance. Well-chosen tempi in each of the Promenades allowed for lyrical playing and were never stilted. Each stroll seemed to have its own emotional character and, in this respect, Haefliger distinguished himself.
But Middle-Aged Chicks The Pictures suite was filled with many wonderful moments. "Gnomes," with its slithery descending chromatic lines, was fully grotesque, in the most positive sense. The "Old Castle," redolent of sadness, was deeply moving. "Bydlo" ("The Oxcart") sounded as though cart and ox alike were swimming through mud, as it should. However, the emerging chickens in the "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks " just seemed wanly middle-aged. Where was the sparkle of youth? An appropriately frantic "Market Place at Limoges" nonetheless needed more humor. The two Polish Jews, "Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle," were wonderfully unhurried and highly characterized. A thrilling "Baba-Yaga" and a "Great Gate of Kiev" filled with grandeur ended the piece. The expectant audience was disappointed to find no encores on offer. Curiously, Haefliger seemed to disregard a part of the very tradition that he has embraced. A pianist with a capacity for vivid characterization and sheer physical excitement, Andreas Haefliger has a great deal to offer. A more wide-ranging sound, not only rich but more delicate, would add much to his palette of artistic possibilities. (John McCarthy is a pianist and teacher. He is Director of Preparatory and Extension Divisions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.) ©2001 John McCarthy, all rights reserved |
