Lessons in Beethoven
On Saturday evening, Leon Fleisher presented some of his charges, each of whom performed a Beethoven sonata at Weill Recital Hall.
Mr. Fleisher, who has a reputation as a fine teacher, is not the main guide of any of these young people, but he did immerse them in Beethoven for a week in October, as part of the Weill Music Institute. The quartet's members came from very different backgrounds and countries, and each is at a decidedly different level of performance excellence. As Mr. Fleisher pointed out, these are "four works in progress."
Being a critic in the back of the room is a bit dicey under these circumstances. This was not a competition among contestants, but rather four different little recitals. Each was satisfying in its own way, as was experiencing the overflow crowd that crammed into the little, elegant room.
The obvious question is whether any of these amateurs will become noted professionals. But there are so many extra-musical factors, including, but not limited to, the emotional, the physical, the intellectual, and the psychological, that it is foolish to even contemplate such a question at this point.
But at least two of the players showcased strong portents of a possible future professional career. Texas pianist Adam Golka offered a very mature reading of the D minor, Op. 31, No. 2, known popularly as "The Tempest." He had the measure of the piece from the outset, tastefully contrasting the bulk of the complex material with a strong-handed realization of the thunder itself. This was musical naturalism of a high order and indicated a thorough knowledge of the material. Especially impressive were the liquid sounds that he coaxed from the keyboard in the Allegretto. At only 20, he possesses a firm foundation on which to build.
Recently I heard a student of the Israeli Victor Derevianko give a very powerful recital at Trinity Church. Another of his pupils was in attendance this night, and she gave a fine performance. Renana Gutman tackled the "Appassionata" in F minor, Op. 57, with great vigor and aplomb. This is an almost impossible task for a student, so I had not expected such an exciting performance. Not only was her technical skill on display, but there was true poetry in her phrasing, and courageous, confident statement of difficult passagework. Considering the sheer density of notes in this work, it is remarkable that she played so few incorrect ones. Nervousness, however, may have been a factor; this was, after all, Carnegie Hall. In any event, the raw material is surely there.
Rounding out the program, Lura Johnson from Ohio began with a spirited Allegro con brio from the B flat major, Op. 22, followed by a quite charming Menuetto. Russian Yury Shadrin painted a measured picture of the philosophical A flat major, Op. 110, revealing a maturity beyond his years. Is the next Zoltan Kocsis or Krystian Zimerman in this group? Who knows?
