Phew, we had a double Marathon day, with performances in the afternoon and in the evening.

First of all, my hat is off to Maestro Conlon and the members of the orchestra who performed 4 concerti.  It was a demanding, gruelling day for them.

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Two direct comparisons in Saturday’s programmes were inevitable: Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit by Zhang and Wu, and Rachmaninoff Concerto No.2 by Tsujii and Bozhanov.

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The afternoon programme began with a recital by Zhang.  I then realised that there really is no way for me to “objectively” listen, as I have just played these pieces recently.  However, I also realised that I never claimed to have written “objectively” so her I go.

The technical precision of Zhang is undisputed.  He opened the theme by Händel with brilliance, with a trumpet-like colour.  The first variation that pushes the clock forward by 150 years was accompanied with brilliantly accented left hand.

As variations were revealed, I was impressed by the clarity of the sound yet I found myself craving for more. With everything repeated twice, I wished for more to be said.  The fermati between variations as instructed by the composer were ignored, and clearer delineation of layers, particularly in the “music box” variation where at least 4 voices should be heard.  The fugue, performed at a brisk pace, was exciting but lacked drama entirely.

A similar fate awaited the notorious Gaspard de la Nuit.  I had never heard the devilish Scarbo faster than Zhang’s performance, but the lack of colours and differentiated textures failed to stir the Poltergeist.

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Son’s interpretation of the fiendishly difficult Prokofiev No.2 was laden with explosives.  It must have been shocking in 1913 when it was premiered by the composer himself, but today in the age of death metal, the dial needs to be turned up to 11 to evoke the uproar nearly 100 years ago.

Here, Son’s pyrotechnics succeeded, though there were numerous ensemble problems.  It sounded as if Son wanted to keep pushing, but the orchestra failed to follow.  Yet, the total effect was appropriate in the 21st century, and the audience showed appreciation.

Then, perhaps the most anticipated chapter in the Battle of Fort Worth in 2009 arrived.  Nobuyuki Tsujii presented Rachmaninoff Concerto No.2.  Arguably one of the most popular concerto ever, it is at the pinnacle of the pianistic romanticism about which I need not to elaborate further.

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With the orchestra lagging in the beginning, harmony arrived several measures into the oeuvre. Here, the style was restrained yet deliberate.  Tsujii did not push the dial to 11, but had a wide range from 0 to 9.5. There were exquisite moments in the delicate, loving, and dreamy second movement.  With the hands kept close to the keyboard, Tsujii did not launch fireworks in to the sky in the final movement, but he showed his innate ensemble skills by being a true partner in the ensemble. It is important to remember that the word, “concert” is defined by Merriam-Webster as: “agreement in design or plan : union formed by mutual communication of opinion and views” Here, we witnessed a successful concert, or concerto.

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Wu opened the evening recital with Bach Toccata, immediately followed by Schönberg’s first atonal keyboard work, Drei Klavierstücke, a deliberate and excellent combination.

Drei Klavierstücke was more Romantic than the austere interpretations we usually hear. Lines were long and rich, but I was confounded by some of the blurriness and the departure from the composers’ tempo markings.

Most alarming was the fact that Wu appears to have misread the score in places. Composed on a rigorous system of 6-note series, the chords and notes should be unambiguous. In the penultimate measure of the third movement, the right hand octave D6/D7 was performed as B5/B6, for example.

Schönberg Drei Klavierstücke, International Music Score Library Project

However, Wu’s reading of the haunting Gaspard de la Nuit was poetic. The ripples of the water in the opening of Ondine was as pianissimo as it could be, while the seductive call of Ondine floated above the water as if it were a hallucination. The sound of the bells from the next village over the other side of the valley was persistent and distant, while the searing image of the blood-crusted corpse hanging from the gallows was as frightening as it is. The Poltergeist in Scarbo, with the maddening laughter of mysterious creatures were vividly portrayed, and the swirling motion induced vertigo. I would be happy to overlook the one measure at the opening of Le Gibet that was somehow left unperformed.

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Back in 1962, Leonard Bernstein stirred a controversy by prefacing the New York Philharmonic performance of Brahms first concerto with soloist Glenn Gould with the following statement:

“In a concerto, who is the boss; the soloist or the conductor? The answer is, of course, sometimes one, sometimes the other, depending on the people involved. But almost always, the two manage to get together by persuasion, or charm, or even threats to achieve a unified performance. I have only once before in my life had to submit to a soloist’s wholly new and incompatible concept and that was the last time I accompanied Mr. Gould.”

I sensed that there may have been such persuasion, charm or even threats utilised to negotiate a unified performance between Bozhanov and Conlon. I am afraid to say that neither of them had competent attorneys arguing their cases at the US Supreme Court, and the result was a battle scene. In the opening of the first movement where the string section presents the first theme, Bozhanov was wrestling the orchestra with his arpeggios. However, even a powerful pianist like Bozhanov would not win a fight versus a well organized army of 100 under the leadership of Maestro Conlon. The Hamburg Steinway caught between them was the first casualty. It unleashed a scream of agony under the full-fisted assault.

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Exuberant Vacatello walked onto the stage with a big smile. She wisely selected a Van Cliburn Foundation New York Steinway instead of the Hamburg Steinway that she had used in the past performances. I am not sure whether it was a last minute decision, but given that the Hamburg Steinway was probably rendered useless in the previous performance, it was the right choice.

Vacatello’s tempo was brisk, quite reminiscent of the monumental recording by Berlin under Abbado with Martha Argerich as a soloist, Vacatello’s mane notwithstanding. Here, I was finally reminded again of what the word, “concerto” truly meant. In the exposition of the first movement where the orchestra and piano exchange alternating chords, there was unity. However, the dance never stays still, and Vacatello and the orchestra exhibited an exuberant ensemble, sometimes tugging and pushing at each other, but breathing the same air and drinking the same wine. The exciting recapitulation soared. Unfortunately however, in the coda section, the wind and percussion sections were two beats behind, Maestro Conlon a beat behind, while the string section seated near Vacatello therefore could hear the piano arrived on time. In a true exhibit of her coolness, she repeated the final note two beats later so that everyone arrived at the same time.

The variations in the second movement were poignant and colourful. The ensemble was again a little precarious, with the orchestra lagging behind. However, the triumphant third movement came together and it was categorically the highlight of the evening. Vacatello appeared very pleased, which pleased me very much. Bravissimo.

Mariangela Vacatello finishes the Prokofiev Concerto No.3, From Cliburn 2009

Mikhail Lifits, Spencer Myer, and Mariangela Vacatello celebrate, From Cliburn 2009

Ken Iisaka

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