Haochen Zhang plays Chopin, Bates and Liszt
Haochen Zhang who dazzled the audience with his impeccable and exuberant reading of Petrushka is about to take the stage to play all twenty four Préludes by Chopin, Op.28, Bates “White Lies for Lomax” and Liszt Spanish Rhapsody.
We are going to hear Bates for the third time, and it will be an interesting comparison with the other competitors who played it yesterday.
He is off running. The style is on the restrained side of the spectrum, without excessive rubato in the first prélude in C-major. Yet, the mysterious a-minor is dark. The G-major shows off his brilliant left hand and crisply stays off the sustain pedal. The e-minor is well grounded without being overly melancholic. He still has 20 more to go, so I presume he is saving for later, larger préludes to prevent audience fatigue. The D-major is fluid with vivid colours. The b-minor is intimate with the melodic line in the left hand. Yet, the style is restrained. The A-major is a fresh breeze, just like sorbet between courses. Nothing less, nothing more. Then the tempest of the f#-minor is shown with long, indulgent lines of the right hand thumb. Here, there is much drama, and the passion grows deliberately with much control and decisiveness. He brings out the little of the counterpoint that exists in the piece beautifully. The soft pedal is used to add dimensions. The E-major is weighty without being too pesante. It almost flows too smoothly, almost too fast, without much drama however. Then c#-minor flies by like shooting star. The deft left hand give just enough contrast to the fleeting right hand. The lyrical, happy B-major is a delight. Then, we have the driving g#-minor. Here, he gives very much importance to his left hand whenever these is an opportunity. The dance here is driving. Ending with two sharp octaves at the end.
Zhang wipes the keyboard before the elegant, F#-major, one of my favourites. The pause allows the audience (including this one) to take a breath to prepare to take in the affectionate lines in this prélude. The mini-development section of is treated almost like a duet between lovers. The sparkling notes above are crystalline, completing a Nocturnesque picture. Then the brutal e-flat-minor, reminiscent of the last movement of the second sonata, is a storm that just passes, leading us into the famous “Rain drop” in D-flat-major. The reading here is steady, almost to the point of neurotic, which paints the picture of the dreary winter in Majorca well. But, in the end, the rain stops, and he shows the ray of sun, and a rainbow. Ahhhh…
He’s off with the B-flat-minor that made Argerich famous. Here, the level of fury is a couple of notches below that of Argerich, but who is at the level of Argerich? He seamlessly went onto the lovely A-flat major, but I would like to have heard more pedalling to subordinate the repeated chords into a blender instead of distinct chords. Yet, the layers are clear, and the lyrical line floats above.
Zhang confounds me at times. The F-minor prélude is an example. It almost sounds too “nice” at the opening without stabs or jabs. Yet, the last few measures are brutal. But I am immediately transported to the elegant E-flat-major performed with much care to inner lines rarely heard. The c-minor is dense, and grave, but my heart is rewarded with the clear tones in the B-flat-major. Here, the inner figures are clearly projected, perhaps more distinctly than most performances. The g-minor sounds almost hurried. It almost sounds too easy, which it probably is for Zhang. However, I feel that I needed to feel more drama, agony, and pain. Then, there was a blip in the Internet connection, and I wasn’t able to hear much of the F-major. The D-minor hurtling now, but without any brutality. Here, I almost want to hear the piano shriek, but the descending parallel chromatic scale is brilliant. Over all, a well executed performance. It just went by all too quickly. But, I would have wanted some more heart-ripping moments of agony.
Now, here comes Bates. He is very keenly aware of the rhythmic backbone inherent in the music. I almost feel I could snap my fingers on the 2nd and 4th beats of the measures. This is truly improvisatory jazz, and Zhang executes it with elan, audacity, and polish. The off-beat accents are clear, and the harmonic structure is clearly laid down. This is a fun piece. This is rock’n'roll. Excellent. ’ts cool, dude. Real kewel.
The Liszt is presented here with much polish, with crystal clear notes. The talent we are witness is exceedingly rare. It is remarkable how he navigated through Chopin Préludes and Bates, and how he is flying through Liszt.
At times, Liszt is too fast. The alternating octaves are absolutely brilliant, but executed without suffering. It almost sounds facile, which it isn’t. The technical polish reminds me of Louie Lortie or Marc-Andre Hamelin, who possess extraordinary technique. However, I have found that they may not be the most effective communicative reader as their facility and technique greatly exceeds the ears of the common audience. The dazzling notes are extraordinary, but without a moment to process, absorb and digest them, they simply fly overhead without leaving marks on our soul.
Perhaps, it may be time for Zhang to take a moment, perhaps like Radu Lupu, and let his soul mature to reach out to the audience outside the confines of his drop-dead technical brilliance. His youth is on his side. He is not turning 19 until next week.
Still the audience in the hall appreciates him, and gives an instantaneous standing ovation. Bravo.
Ken Iisaka
May 29th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Not positive, but I believe he skipped the 11th prelude. Is this means for being disqualified?, Since the rules state that complete works must be performed and he didn’t technically fulfill that? I’m not suggesting this should happen, I’m just curious.
May 29th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Hm..Not sure… let me ask…
- Emily in the press office
May 29th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
umm….i heard the B Major! (the 11th one). In the blog post, Ken stated and commented about the B Major…..
May 29th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
What, the B major? I think I heard it. He held the first note for an extended time, and sort of conducted his left hand down to the keyboard. Am I thinking of a different one?
May 29th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Chopin preludes: technically, and notationally, Haochen’s playing is facile and pristine. Maybe too facile. He’s an extraordinarily gifted prodigy, but there’s little emotion conveyed. I find the many different characters and artistic struggles offered by these pieces to be bland and unsurprising — or just awfully naive in his hands. Would I want to hear more Chopin, or Mozart or Prokofiev? I’m ambivalent. The playing is correct, but I’m not terribly moved.
Mike
May 29th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Yeah, I wanted my heart ripped…
May 29th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
You’ll have to forgive my ignorance as a non-pianist for not knowing exactly which is which by the key sig, but while following the sheet music on my comp., it seemed he played the end of 10 (ends in C# minor) and went on to 12 (G# minor I believe) and skipped over the 11 (sort of F# minory, ends in B Major). Again, not sure…but I’m curious as to what that might mean as far as the rules go. I sure hope he’s not DQed, especially after that lovely performance of the Bates, quite wonderful.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
OK, lots to note here. I’m delighted that we have two entire Chopin books presented this year (Tsujii’s op. 10 and Hoachen’s preludes.
The reading was brisk, but not rushed for me. I got a clear sense that Hoachen was conveying the book as a whole, not a series of independent pieces. He paused after G#minor, perhaps to get his bearings after that (arguably) most difficult prelude, but also because it presented a right-feeling resting point.
The DbM / Bbm coupling is the centerpiece, consolidating many challenges in two pieces. Hoachen’s Raindrop had lovely dynamic range, with beautiful pianissimos that never lost clarity. I do hope he develops a more sitinct philosophy of sound, of you will — a sonic personality. He misses opportunities to penetrate into the room with notes and phrases that you remember for years. Moments like that can be life-changing, and I don’t hear him coming within miles of jaw-dropping lyrical beauty.
The Bbminor was disappointing to me, though obviously well played. It is an indicator of this guy’s potential that I *hoped* he would floor me at the level of Argerich, Kissin, or Sergio Tiempo. He seemed mostly interested in demonstrating clarity, as if it were a Czerny study; I want to be tossed into a tornado.
The EbMajor had lovely inner voice work.
D minor was quite impressive.
Hoachen is growing on me.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I agree with you Michael, I was looking forward to the e minor but went by like a fast ferrari…the b minor was ok..He definintely struggled with the bouncing of the left hand in No.16 but the right hand was stable. No. 20- what happened to the beautiful medody? I think he made up for some of the previous preludes on no 24 though. I studied these at Juilliard and still consider these pieces close to my heart. Bates was fantastic..Liszt is moving well on its way! He likes Liszt!
May 29th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
He did play the eleventh prelude, I was following the score.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I noticed that he didn’t have the music for the Bates piece, while Bozhanov did. I missed the ones in between; did they have the music? In any case, I’m really enjoying his performance. I didn’t want his Chopin to sound world-weary. That would be crazy for an 18-year-old. Energetic, note-perfect, and crisp suits him and the music perfectly. The Liszt is exciting!
May 29th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
No, he did not skip any preludes as I was following along with the score.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Now I think he really comes through with the Liszt. Love it!!!
May 29th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Bates: He played from memory (others have used the music). Every note perfect, but where are the down-and-dirty blues? Alan Lomax was a friend, and a remarkable, worldy, folksy energy. This performance was pristine and computationally precise but felt clueless. More like a MIDI sequencer than a soul-stirring performance…
May 29th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I was a bit disappointed by the Liszt. I was hoping to hear him bringing the same skill at characterization and effects to the Rhapsody that he did with Petroushka, and he did some of that — in the slower sections. He just took some sections too fast to bring out that sort of detail, even if he could handle it technically.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I’m with everyone this time. This didn’t floor me the way his Prelims did. I think he’d be well served with a Special Prize and told to come back at the ripe old age of 23. Add a little emotional depth to his playing and he’d be a front-runner.
Some of the Chopin was fine, but he whiffed on some of the pieces (interpretively, not technically) and the whole lacked the depth that the Preludes should have. I’m frankly surprised his teachers let him play this piece here; he’s just not quite ready.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I was a lot disappointed with the Liszt. As correct and dazzling in the fingers as one can imagine, but predictable. It needs a big personality to come to life. The piece is kind of an empty suit to begin with — a Liberace suit, of course, and a gas to play. But it’s not about getting all the notes on the page into exactly the right place in time, is it? Am I the only one who didn’t find this much fun? A big whopper standing ovation, naturally. It would generate quite a kerfuffle if he weren’t promoted to the finals, I’ll bet.
Do you wonder if winning a Cliburn medal would really be helpful for this young man? I recall Dimitris Sgouros — still the most astonishing prodigy I’ve run across — stepping out of the music world at age 16, so that he could go to a decent college, get a girlfriend, get a life… It’s also interesting to recall the immensely joyful, charismatic impact of Joyce Yang here in 2005. She was about the same age then as Haochen is now. But a world of difference, it seems to me.
— MH
May 29th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
One aspect of Ken’s review that I’m not sure I agree with is the feeling I got from it that he felt that a technical piece executed “without suffering” or which sounds “too easy” is at least in part unsatisfying for that reason.
I think it’s possible to have complete technical mastery of a piece and to make it seem easy, while still giving a musically satisfying performance. Just because you’re not communicating some sort of sense of struggle doesn’t mean you’re not communicating.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I agree with Hawley on the Bates. Although there is a pristine elegance to Zhang’s playing (and that has its merits) there’s not much fire. His performance of the Bates reminded me of Ang Li’s performance of the Bowen Toccata. That piece is marked Allegro furioso and there is a jazzy section starting in m.121 leading to martellato (literally “hammered”) octaves. But there was hardly any change in sound from beginning to end other than dynamics.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Zhang was stupendous on virtually every level! Since when is it wrong to be 18? Besides, did any of us play anywhere near the same ballpark at that age (or ever, for that matter)? And I didn’t hear a note that was too fast to be heard and to fit into the proper artistic context, Bravo to Zhang; I hope he will be thrilling audiences long after the “carpers” are just unpleasant memories!
May 29th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
A robust, masculine reading of the Chopin that worked. The jazz rhythm of the Bates seemed to elude him, more like literally following the score rather than intuitively knowing the musical intent. Lam, perhaps coming from Australia, got it and for my taste, the piece called for the more delicate touch she brought to it. The Rhapsody, while technically stunning, seemed to miss the flamenco flavor. Still, he’s a major force to be reckon with, both through this competition and in the future.
May 29th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
He can return to the Cliburn at 22, 26, and I think at 30 going on 31? Stupendous, but…
May 29th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I LOVE the warnings to the audience about phones and coughing. We need that here in Chicago.
May 29th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I actually enjoyed Zhang’s Preludes more than Tsujii’s Etudes. Zhang has much more expression, lyricism, and dazzling virtuosity. Tsujii’s was all about speed.
May 29th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Okay, Richard, I found the score reader with the sound crew - she followed the entire work with the score. Every movement was performed.
-Emily
May 29th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Hmmm. I loved his recital, and the way in which he actually UNDERPLAYED at lot of the Chopin. For being an 18 year old there was a lot of insight there (and needless to say they were amazingly polished).
Wonderful that he played the Bates from memory, though I think that Bozhanov’s will be hard to beat…
I rather liked the Spanish Rhapsody too, in it’s elegant and un-banged way. He’s a stupendous talent and I have a hunch he may medal!
May 29th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
This young man impresses me a great deal. At his young age, he is in complete control of his instrument and his own temperament and able to convey his own brand on his performance like the Canadian Louis Lortie and the younger Michel Beroff. His has his own voice unlike others. I’ve a very good feeling that he’ll get into the finals and probably in the top medals. I look forward to hearing how he tackles the Mozart Concerto.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Thank you Anton and Alan. I felt that Haocheng’s recital was a revelation. Insightul, colorful and old worldly in many ways. And for a 19 year old what depth! I really feel that HE MUST MEDAL. After listening to his recital everyone else sounds pale and less interesting. Every note he plays has a personal meaning. I loved the Liszt–never harsh but exciting. Knowing that the two of you are great pianists and teachers, I am thrilled that you find him as prodigious as I do. Thank you guys
May 29th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Haochen Zhang plays the Chopin Preludes rather well generally. Taking into account his Polonaise-Fantaisie from the 1st round, I think he has the potential to be a great Chopin interperter in the years to come But right now, he doesn’t sound like a natural Chopin player … he sounds more like a well-trained highly-polished prodigy. In this case, you must give his teacher Gary Graffman some credit.
Right now, I think Evgeni Bozhanov is the better Chopin player, based on his Chopin Sonata in the 1st round.
His Spanish Rhapsody is good as expected, but he did not surpass Yeol Eum Son’s Spanish Rhapsody in the 1st round. Yeol has a better sense and better style for this piece than Haochen.
I blogged earlier that I really liked Haochen a lot, but also stressed that he is not head-and-shoulder above the field, he is not a phenomenon, he doesn’t generate the excitement and buzz that Joyce Yang did in 2005.
To summarize all the above, I do not believe Haochen is the gold medal favorite or even the silver medal favorite. Haochen needs some luck along the way to get bronze.
June 3rd, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Well, I picked Zhang from day one to make it this far in the competition. Now, I have a feeling that it’s gonna be interesting to see who’s going to come on top between him and Evgeni Bozhanov on sunday. again, there could be a surprise with the other 4 competitors. So far, I like Zhang chances in this contest
June 8th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Congrats….to Zhang and Nobuyuki Tsujii.
I picked Zhang from day one. and I ‘d like to say he was my favorite in this contest. Nobuyuki will have a bright future. I hope him the best of the best.