San Francisco Classical Voice

Pianist Louis Lortie's program in Herbst Theater this past Saturday was a mixture of the exquisite and exotic, much of it beautifully performed, but often within an emotional range that was too narrow. The all-Chopin evening featured short pieces emphasizing the more brilliant and salon-like aspects of Chopin's output, with a special focus on solo arrangements of works for piano and orchestra. This program largely ignored Chopin's more dramatic and profound works, and while it was a novel idea, by the end this listener had the slightly uncomfortable feeling of having made a meal out of too many appetizers.

Lortie is a fine pianist and a serious artist. His technique is impeccable, commanding a broad tonal palette with a wide range of color. Especially impressive was his control of the softest dynamic levels; it was a real pleasure to hear a pianist make a difference between pp and ppp. His loud playing is less interesting, never actually harsh, but also never really rich or warm, and with a hint of glassiness to the sound.

Although there were many moments of real beauty as well as a few moments of excitement, the final impression is one of coolness and reserve--dignity and refinement were more in evidence, along with that much appreciated and (nowadays) extremely rare commodity known as elegance. However, one did miss a certain sense of warmth in the playing. Perhaps this was the fault of the program, but on the basis of Saturday night's performance Lortie's artistry appeared more patrician than passionate.

The program's first half featured five Waltzes interspersed with the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Impromptus, and concluded with a rousing, stylish, and pianistically dazzlingly rendition of the Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Op. 22. The beautiful melody of the Andante Spianato was appropriately spun out, and the Grande Polonaise was played with both nobility and panache. The Waltzes, however, were a mixed bag. The G-Flat and D-Flat waltzes from op. 70 seemed earthbound, but the latter at least was filled with lovely coloration.

The A-Flat Waltz op. 42 provided a curious combination. Although having a nice rhythmic bounce, Lortie's performance of this piece was coupled with a lack of grace in the passagework that kept the piece from being wholly successful. The E Minor waltz (op. posth.) was suitably brilliant, although somewhat stiff. The most effective of all was the elegiac A Minor Waltz op. 34, #2; here Lortie demonstrated a heartfelt lyricism and a subtle sensibility for shaping the musical line that was most poignant.

The concert began with the 1st Impromptu, the A-Flat Major, which, except for the lovely coda, fell more than a little flat. The third Impromptu (G-Flat Major) was a different story; although the least-known of the four, this was Chopin's personal favorite of the Impromptus, and Lortie played it in a loving manner, with a true legato and fine technical control of the work's many double notes. The popular 4th Impromptu, better known as the Fantasie-Impromptu received a refreshingly un-hackneyed reading. The middle section alternated between ardent poetry and hushed reverence, and I for one was pleased to hear the Klindworth variant in the second "verse" of the melody. Although many of the older generations of pianists have been much maligned for adding embellishments to Chopin's score, there are numerous reports from Chopin's students indicating that the composer often followed this practice of varying the melody upon repetition.

The second half of the program was unusual, although less successful than the first half, and featured works originally conceived for piano and orchestra, presented as solo piano pieces. The first work was the rarely-heard Allegro de concert op. 46. Chopin originally intended it to be part of a third piano concerto, but set aside the work for 10 years, and later recast it as a solo work. Although it has an extremely brilliant piano part, it is one of the very few works by Chopin without a memorable melody. In this case, the neglect for the Allegro does not seem unjustified, and judging by the tepid audience response, Lortie's performance did little to advance the cause of the work.

Much more effective was Lortie's own arrangement for piano solo of the slow movement of the E Minor Concerto. Here Lortie followed Chopin's example, for it is known that on more than one occasion the composer performed this work (as well as the other works originally written with orchestral accompaniment) in his own arrangement for solo piano. Here Lortie's sound was at its most ravishing, effectively recalling Chopin's own description of the movement as being the evocation of a reverie on a moonlit night.

The program concluded with Lortie's solo piano arrangement of the Grand Fantasy on Polish Airs, op.13. The pianist's version is quite brilliant and manages to increase Chopin's already considerable technical requirements. Although the mazurka-like section was played with fine rhythmic verve, at this point in the program one grew weary of the many brilliant effects that, while beautiful, were not often moving. Three of Chopin's etudes followed as encores, the first two from the op. 25 set, and the E Major etude, op. 10 #3.

The latter etude showed again Lortie's ability to sculpt a melodic line, and the hushed final statement was superbly controlled whisper that projected throughout the room. In short, the evening provided much beautiful playing, an interesting if not always successful program, and a curiosity to hear this artist again.

(Pianist William Wellborn performs and lectures in the United States and Europe, and from 1995-97 was host of the program "Piano Legacy" on San Francisco station KDFC. Wellborn is on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory, where he teaches courses in piano, piano history, and opera.)

©1999 William Wellborn, all rights reserved