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RECITAL REVIEW
Angela Hewitt; Bach To Fireworks
February 11, 2001
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By Jerry Kuderna
Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt came to town Sunday to substitute for the ailing Horacio Gutierez. Her recital at Hertz Hall abounded in nuanced playing and mixed messages. Although she has made a reputation as a Bach specialist, she clearly does not want to be typecast as a scholarly player. She came out in a slinky red dress that said, "When I'm good I'm very good, but when I'm bad I'm better!"
Hewitt started out by being good with two early Bach works. She delivered performances that were graceful and never departed from good taste. Neither did they reveal much beyond the kind of safe playing that traditionally begins recitals with a Baroque work.
I almost always wonder if Bach should be played in large concert halls. This performance was no exception. In both pieces, the Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother and the C Minor Toccata, Hewitt steered a course resolutely in the middle of the road. The final fugue of the toccata, which goes on for 11 pages, failed to ignite. I longed for some quirky detail that would show me a personal relationship to the music and make me go to the lobby at intermission to buy one of her CDs (which may the better medium for the appreciation of her Bach playing).
The Beethoven "Eroica" Variations followed, with much the same result, although Hewitt increased her tempi beyond the allegretto prescribed by the composer. Despite her considerable digital dexterity, she did not summon the impulsive power required by this work: At each place the fermatas interrupt the variation, she would pause gracefully, instead of slamming on the brakes, which would have added to the character. But at such quick tempo, one would have gone through the windshield. The ultimate impression was of a headlong dash not to be interrupted by those humorous shenanigans that Beethoven likes to put into his "serious" pieces. After intermission, the music and Hewitt seemed to be more in harmony. In Ravel's Miroirs, she could establish a mood in each of the pieces, which gave her a chance to use the considerable coloristic resources she possesses. The last three pieces in particular were quite effective, and she gave a brilliant account of the fiendishly difficult (on that instrument, especially) Alborada del Grazioso. More virtuoso fireworks followed with the Liszt Dante Sonata, which is the last piece I would have suspected from a pianist who plays the complete Well-tempered Clavier in concert. It did go extremely well with her dress, however. (Jerry Kuderna is a pianist who teaches at Diablo Valley College and is a host (with Sarah Cahill) of the Berkeley TV program, Stop, Look, and Listen.) ©2001 Jerry Kuderna, all rights reserved |
