San Francisco Classical Voice

Last Sunday, in a recital of well-known works at Old First Church, Ori Steinberg showed that there can be a rewarding artistic life for a musician after the fractious world of competitions.

Now in his thirties and a former prize winner on the piano competition circuit, Steinberg proved to be a musician who approached the instrument with nothing in particular to prove. The lack of adventure in his programming belied the fact that he is clearly an artist with fresh ideas and with a considerable amount to say. Steinberg dares to put a personal stamp on the music without ever becoming idiosyncratic.

In the opening Sonata in A minor, K.310, one of the two that Mozart wrote in a minor key, Steinberg took a full-blown approach. This was playing that was operatic in scope and never fussy or over-articulated. The tragic drama of the first movement was unrestrained in the best sense and was weighty without being dumpy. This was music making with a sense of continuity and a compelling sense of conviction. The lyrical opening of the second movement, marked "Andante cantabile con espressione" was played with uncommon graciousness, and even during the pathos of the middle section, Steinberg produced a tone that was warm and never forced.

However, the opening of the "Presto" final movement lacked a ghostly, etherealized quality because of Steinberg's tendency to overstate accents on the downbeat. Curiously, he seemed to inhibit the sound and energy, and hence the momentum at the end of the sonata.

It was potentially disconcerting to have three Chopin waltzes follow in the wake of such a profound work as the Mozart, something like having a sweet dessert wine served with the main course. Had it not been for the genuinely engaging playing by Mr. Steinberg, it could have been indigestible. I found his ardent, uncluttered approach to the "minute" waltz in D flat major, Op. 64, no. 1, the waltz in B minor, Op. 69, no. 2 and the posthumous waltz in E minor never cloying, always unaffected and emotionally honest. Technique and musicality were inseperable.

In the famous "Rondo Capriccioso," Op. 14 by Mendelssohn, the playing was, to my ear, overly straightforward and active in the introduction. The virtuoso body of the piece was presented with great vehemence, and Steinberg managed always to keep the larger structure in mind.

Mr. Steinberg seemed most comfortable and authentically personal after intermission, especially in the Schumann "Phantasiestuck," Op. 12. Although the "Des Abends" (Evening) was a trace too objective, in need of more searching poetry, the following "Aufschwung" (Soaring) was remarkable for its sense of line and direction. "Warum?" (Why?) was lovingly rendered, touching and emotionally arresting. Steinberg was at his best in this, his playing strongly defined and expertly executed.

The tour de force that concluded the program was the notoriously difficult "The Blue Danube Waltz" of Johann Strauss Jr. arranged by Schultz-Eveler. Never descending to the level of vaudeville or camp, he presented this work with appropriate geniality and spaciousness, and not too seriously.

Ori Steinberg is a pianist true to himself, earnestly demonstrating demonstrated that it is not so much what you play but how well you play it that ultimately matters. It is still possible for a pianist as gifted as Steinberg to take traditional fare and offer a stimulating and special listening experience.

(John McCarthy is a pianist and teacher. He is Director of Preparatory and Extension Divisions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.)

©1998 John McCarthy, all rights reserved