Dank performs Brahms Piano Quintet
In a piano quintet, WHO IS THE BOSS?
Some say it's the first violin, and some say it's the piano.
It is so hard to judge from distance, because the way the instruments are mic'ed has a profound influence on the balance. Hearing the cello through the left channel, I'm not confident of the realism of the sound I am hearing either through an array of Klipsch THX speakers in my media room, or through the earphones.
I see an array of microphones suspended over the performers, but not knowing the type of these microphones and how they are mixed, it is really hard to know from a distance. I would prefer a pair of cardioid in ORTF at some distance, or a pair of omnis, but I am getting a little technical here.
Having said that, my impression is that Dank is the boss here, even though the first violin leads the quartet. At times, I've found Dank's percussive sound dominating the scene, with the percussive sound of the piano not blending well with the quartet.
Of course, I am not stating that the piano should sound like the string instruments. Even a magnificent piano such as this Cliburn New York Steinway will never sound like a Stradivarius. However, I am referring to how the sound works well in the context of the string ensemble.
How should the piano sound when duplicating the lines of the string players? How about when the piano is accompanying the quartet? How about when the piano is the soloist with the quartet accompanying the piano?
Overall, Dank's percussive sound stands out against the smooth, rich backdrop of the quartet, even when the quartet is in the driver's seat. Chamber music involves much give and take, and the whole picture is not yet gelled or cohesive. It is difficult to fault them however, as the quintet had only one rehearsal together.
Ken Iisaka
May 28th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
I’m trying to listen in LONDON, UK. The SOUND is poor beyond words and exasperating so I’m giving up. Why don’t you ask the BBC HOW to do it? If the audiance is shouting “LOUDER!” then why don’t you take the hint? Technology is no good if the expertese is not there to make it work! Emeliye.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
If you watched Nobu Tsujii’s rehearsal yesterday, as I did, I got the impression the first violin was the boss. But he often asked Nobu if he had something to go over but he seldom did. If that rehearsal is any indication, Nobu should do very well, indeed.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I wonder which of the New York Steinway’s Dank is playing? I liked the first movement of the Brahms Quintet. But, were there moments when the piano was a bit too dominating, i.e. loud?
May 28th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
It is the VCF New York Steinway.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Its hard to say about the balance because I am watching it on the internet… Who knows…. I will ask my friends later - they were in the hall…
First violin is the boss in terms of cues, unless he is not playing, but I think that everyone should be equal, like in a good marriage
May 28th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I would say that there is both no boss and everyone being the boss at the same time if that makes sense. It is usually worked out that whoever is the leader according to what the music is doing leads the group. i.e. If the Cello has an extended solo, where others in the group enter with him at certain points, he would lead that specific section. In general, because the majority of the melodies in these pieces are in the first violin or piano, they would be leading the majority of the time.
Now, I say this as a percussionist, so don’t hang your hat on my answer alone, but I have taken a variety of chamber classes at the various conservatories I’ve attended, and obviously play in a wide variety of conductor-less ensembles, and it has been my experience that the music at any given time dictates the “leader” of the group.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Can anyone tell me how much freedom does the pianist have to change the interpretation within the group? Can he adjust the tempos, dynamics, etc.? I am curious if whats happening now is Dank’s idea?
May 28th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Oh God…..now they are going to take off and fly away…why???WHY SO FAST????? Only in the end - yes, BUT THEY ARE NOT TOGETHER, so the solution is faster???? God….
May 28th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Ken,
Thanks. IMHO, the VCF NY Steinway was a very good choice for this quintet. It had a very Brahmsian sound. I liked this performance, especially the 3rd and 4th movements.
Richard, I tend to agree with your explanation of “who’s the boss”.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Richard S., excellent answer to the “who’s the boss” question; thanks for posting it.
In a competition situation, the pianist’s interpretation will set the tone. The quartet, after all, is not being judged - and a very fine quartet this is, too.
I didn’t much like the first movement as played by Dank, but very much liked the rest of it - the second movement was so Schubertian, just lovely.
A technical comment - I have to have my computer speaker at the highest level to hear anything at all.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I’m also curious how different the balance is on the webcast than in the hall.
Alessandro Deljavan, at least, seems to think they’re pretty similar. According to the DFW blog he’s using comments from friends of his in India who were viewing the rehearsal on the webcast to help judge his balance for the performance.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I have never had a moment of difficulty with the live stream - the volume is fine, never any break-up, excellent sound and picture. It would lead me to say the problem was at with an individual’s set up - if I didn’t have such a problem with some (but not all) of the Prelim round archives.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Dank is leading and the quartet is doing it to all the competitors in the rehersals!
If you ear the interview they also aproach that subject. When the pianist ideas are dificult or impossibel then they say it. Anyway they have been very helpful and respectful to all competitors. For instance in this quintet, The quartet used to do the central them of the 3rd mov a lot more slow and legato and Dank wanted to keep it forward and at same tempo and so they did it and made it interesting too.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
@Emeliye - I will forward on your comment about sound problems to our webcast tech team. Thank you for letting us know.
Also, KTCU is streaming the entire competition live (audio only) at http://www.ktcu.tcu.edu/.
-Emily in the Press Office
May 28th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
The quality of sound and picture have been fine for me, but I also must have the computer volume at the highest level to barely hear the soft sections through my laptop speakers. Listening with headphones plugged in so as to simultaneously have the speakers still sounding solves the problem of barely being able to hear the softest sections. It also gives me far greater range of color & depth for the piano through all registers and feel like being there in the hall. What wonderful pianos these are.
The Brahms was fine, but did not move me and somehow just was not as good as many live performances of it I have been priveledged to witness. I think I also heard one too many performances of it when at the MN Intl. Piano e-competition and am ready to have it retired from Piano competitions for while. In contrast, I can listen to the Schumann Quintet over and over with much better results.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I thought the Brahms to be rather hurried and frenetic. More time was needed to “make beauty”.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I must say that I find it amusing to read the comments and the blog entries on many of those performances at the Cliburn. To write a lengthy blog on who is the leader and who is not as if there is monarchy in chamber music at this level is rather strange and to follow it up with a summary of Mr. Dank’s performance as being percussive and lacking cohesion without mentioning any of the the countless qualities or at least giving a more detailed view of exactly where it wasn’t gelling together seems interesting to say the least. Of course I agree that it is impossible to judge such things as real tone color or blending of instruments over the internet and thus am surprised that after stating exactly this in a detailed manner, the whole focus of the blog is on the one aspect that cannot be judged. The beautifully reserved, yet burning passion of Brahms’ music was conveyed in a tremendous manner to my ears and the honesty and depth of poetry on display, much like Mr. Dank’s 1st round, continues to make him stand out in my mind.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Hi, John,
Your comment is very much appreciated. However, after much hesitation, I decided to go on to write my impression because Dank didn’t present a wide range of colours and textures. The Van Cliburn New York Steinway possesses rich tones and colours that craved to be exploited.
As such, my impression was that while they were together rhythmically, they had not yet shared the musical vision in the piece. That comes from real-time negotiations during the performance, the game of push and pulls. To perform this precarious balancing act, one requires an extraordinarily keen ears. I’ll listen to more chamber music sessions, and explore more.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Dank’s performance of the Brahms was fine - he is technically capable, but some of the choices he made interpretatively, such as in articulations, were questionable in my humble opinion. Just for example…the extreme detached staccatos Dank chose to play in the first theme of the second movement. Most pianists play them portato, as Brahms indicated staccatos with a slur over the two notes. When the string players play the theme later in the movement, the difference in articulation is evident.