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Saturday, Aug 30, 2008
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Masterful evening with pianist Andsnes |
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| Masterful evening with pianist Andsnes | ||
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by Rod Parke -
SGN A&E Writer Piano Recital by Leif Ove Andsnes Monday, April 28 Meany Theater So confident, so right, so satisfying & the music that flowed from Leif Ove Andsnes (LIFE OVUH ANS-nes) impressed from the first notes as something special. Handsome, dignified, and a youthful 38, Andsnes' manner was the same as his music: devoid of any mannerisms, articulate, and the perfect channel for what he wished to communicate. He began with Bach's "Toccata in E Minor, BWV 914." Written at about the same time as the famous "Toccata in D Minor," the E Minor piece was full of wild "improvisational" excursions into the unexpected. Andsnes laid all of this out with utter clarity, but wrapped in a warmth that told us his program was going to be fun from start to finish. Some of this warmth came from his exceptional use of the Steinway's pedals. The Beethoven 'Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No.1' reflected a similarly imaginative style, as its title "Quasi una fantasia" suggested. With an ever-straight back and little movement above his elbows, the pianist nonetheless hit us with all the dynamic contrasts that Beethoven so loved, again presented in such a comfortable, even friendly manner that Meany became a warm parlor filled with attentive friends. (Indeed, Meany is almost always TOO warm. I took along a thermometer to get a little objective about this pet peeve; it registered 78 F!) Making things even friendlier, Andsnes spoke to us (using a microphone) before the next set of Nordic works. Like his playing, his perfect English (he's Norwegian) was personable, articulate, and informative. He admitted that Sibelius' works for piano were rather spotty in quality. Announcing that he would move directly from four of his favorites by Sibelius into the 'Ballade in G Minor' by Grieg, Andsnes suggested possible reasons why Sibelius wrote hundreds of pieces for an instrument he did not like: to please his publisher and to secure an income. The short contrasting pieces before the Grieg were 'Kyllikki,' 'Elegiaco,' 'The Birch Tree,' and 'Barcarola.' Miniature tone poems, each created a distinct mood-picture, and began to reveal the pianist's skill in painting. Like most Grieg, the 'Ballade' was tuneful and pleasant, its chief virtue to these ears being its novelty. Perhaps it's a deeper piece than I perceived on first hearing? After intermission, the painter brought out a whole new set of brushes for eleven selections from Debussy's 'Preludes, Books 1 and 2.' These began in the fog ("Brouillards") and ended in moonlight ("La terasse des audiences du dans de lune"). These were so effective that the encores of two sonatas by Scarlatti were a welcome trip out of such atmospheric flights into the Latin sunshine. They were indeed dazzling and utterly delightful. Reviewer Rod Parke can be reached at rod@sgn.org |
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