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RECITAL REVIEW
Kovacevich's Negative Example
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By John McCarthy
Pianist Stephen Kovacevich presented a recital at UC Berkeley's Hertz Hall
last Sunday afternoon that revealed a musician with flamboyant
style and uncompromisingly clear intentions. His very personal way however, only occasionally penetrated the character of the music, leaving the listener
shaken but not moved.
The first of two Beethoven sonatas comprising the program's first half, the early Sonata in C minor, Op 10 No 1 was broadly conceived and rich in detail. Kovacevich's severity with the opening statement was compelling in its
intensity. He played the second theme with healthy sentiment and
straightforward phrasing. The opening of the Adagio Molto was hauntingly beautiful but Kovacevich was inclined to an idiosyncratic disregard for the rhythmic structure of the music. Novelty did not illuminate.
While the legato opening of the Sonata in Ab major, Op 110 needed more
defnition, the gradual unfolding of waves of arpeggios promised a profound
and thoughtful performance. Suddenly the pianist came to an abrupt stop and
in the maddening silence, matters descended to the level of the Jerry Springer show. The artist glared in the direction of a lone cougher in the audience and sacrificed the ether of opus 110 when starting again. This was the most self-defeating performance in memory.
The Allegro molto movement was rhythmically flat and the sforzando in the
opening phrase seemed meaningless. The surreal pedalling of the fugue was
neither compelling nor a radical alternative to unexamined conventions.
Schubert was the composer of the second half. One hoped for a less
adversarial relation to the audience but the twelve Laendler, D. 790, were utterly charmless. The pianist caught the wonderful rustic rhythm of the Austrian Laendler but without good natured ease. The great Sonata in A major D. 959 lacked fundamental continuity. To turn over the endless violations of
fundamental musical values would serve no positive purpose here.
The damage has already been done to a great work.
Rather than provoking or stimulating, this recital offered a negative example. Jittery effects coupled with large gestures require more than enthusiasm in order for such a concept to be artistically valid.
(John McCarthy is a pianist and teacher. He is Director of Preparatory and
Extension Divisions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.)
©1999 John McCarthy, all rights reserved
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Stephen Kovacevich