Live Concert Review: Love at First Sound (the Final 5, Part II)
By Mike Winter
How I’m going to respond to a performer, I usually know immediately–from the first measure, or less. Here at the Cliburn, the rare occasion when one is listening relative to other performers, rather than to a full evening of music by one performer, this first impression is especially evident. From the first measure of Haydn’s big E-flat Sonata the music-making of Yoonjun Han was magnetic. Every note or chord of her playing is dynamically contiguous with the next in order to form a phrase. While listening to Han, I realized that a characteristic of most of the pianists from the Juilliard school is this commitment to the phrase: beyond the bar line, and sometimes beyond many bar lines. Han is a master of this. Her playing exudes life and breath. Never have I heard a more exquisitely shaped Haydn in a performance that should be required listening to demonstrate how phrasing can breathe life into notes. She weaved shape and substance over this music like a magician. Next came the Chopin F-minor Fantasy, dramatic and mesmerising, as if a grand narrative were being told. Likewise with Granados’s “El Amor y la muerte,” in which another wordless narrative unfolded. As richly as do verbal phrases, the musical ones spoke their intense tale. Congratulations Yoonjung Han, you are a master of a rare art: making music speak as well as sing. I sincerely hope to hear more of your musical narrations very soon.
Yeol Eum Son strode on stage in a formal gown, complete with train. Her movements on stage are precise and controlled, her non-playing fingers stay curved to form a tunnel. Her arms move in dramatic sweeps, her face stares soulfully toward the heavens. All this, coupled with straightforward, unimaginative readings of Haydn’s popular sonata in C, Schumann’s Fantiestucke, and the Liszt Spanish Rhapsody gave the impression that this concert is more about her than about the music. The Schumann in particular stood in contrast to the version heard the night before from Andrea Lam, who stopped to savor the phrases, so to speak. The audience loved the Liszt and leaped to its feet with shouts, but Liszt has a way of doing that, especially when done well, and this was a very good job.
Mayumi Sakamoto drew the honor of being the 29th pianist of the 2009 Cliburn Competition, and she turned out to be one of the very best–a wonderful way to conclude the proceedings, with the bell-like thunder of good old C major in the grand finale Rachmaninoff’s six Moments Musicaux, Op. 16, rarely heard in their entirety. These wonderful pieces could not have been played better, being reminiscent of Lazar Berman’s first recording to appear in the West on Melodiya in the late 60’s—with grandeur and color, intensity and virtuosity galore. Sakamoto has an extremely articulate technique, which sparkled in her Bach Toccatta in E-minor, BWV 914, especially the ornamentation. Mendelssohn’s “Variations Serieuses” which followed were seriously spot on. Sakamoto has a lot to say with her music-making, and I hope we get to hear it here.
This competition has presented at least 12 new spectacular artists, and no matter what happens to them in the days and years ahead, no matter how they come across to the 12 august jurors of the Cliburn, those pianists are known to me now, and I look forward to following their careers and to hearing them again sometime, somewhere, as soon as possible.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
A curious thought (or I guess a request more than anything)…if Victor Stanislavsky is still in town it would be neat to have a video of him performing Derek Bermel’s “Turning” as one of the intermission features.
We’re going to hear the other three winners of the Composers Invitational, but Stanislavsky was the only one to select Bermel’s piece, so it looks like we won’t have an opportunity to hear it otherwise.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Finally, someone who has seen the extraordinary beauty in Sakamoto’s playing!!!!! She was phenomenal!
May 28th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Kevin — the schedule shows two Piano marathons where the non-advancing contestants play their remaining repertoire on the afternoons of 6/1 and 6/2: http://www.cliburn.org/index.php?page=13th_tickets
So, it should including Stanislavsky playing Bermel. I hope they will show these recitals on the webcast — does anyone know if they plan to?
-Mona S.
May 28th, 2009 at 7:22 am
I thought Sakamoto did a great job as well. I especially liked her Mendelssohn, but the crowd didn’t seem to care for it as much as they did the Rachy pieces.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:41 am
The Mendelssohn rarely brings audiences to their feet because it ends quietly. I know it’s art and everything but Mendelssohn really screwed performers with the pianissimo conclusion. Horowitz ignored the dynamic markings and blasted through to fortissimo final chords. Can’t blame him.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Horowitz ignored the dynamic markings and blasted through to fortissimo final chords.
Good Lord. That final pianissimo is such a great moment. Maybe it’s damning with faint praise, as I’ve only heard it done by a couple of pianists–I listened to Benjamin Frith’s Naxos recording countless times when I was doing program notes–but Sakamoto’s performance was easily the best I’ve heard.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I wasn’t moved by Sakamoto’s Rach moment musical at all. She struggled seemingly to bring out the emotions of the music but she just couldn’t. I don’t think I’m alone on this.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
@James Mc: there are lots of recordings, of course, and since it’s not a piece of great emotional depth, it’s hard for a merely very good performance (like Sakamoto’s) to stand out in my mind. Impossible for me to avoid comparing with Horowitz, who IMO owns the piece (with the usual idiosyncracies).
I was surprised to see it (on Kevin’s sheet) programmed three times for the Cliburn. Though engaging, fun, and dazzling in places, it’s a bit lightweight. If you’ve decent chops in high school, there’s a good chance your teacher will assign it.
The overexposure plus soft ending is going to leave many audiences thinking, “Well then. What’s next?”
May 28th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Both Yeol Eum Son and Mayumi Sakamoto are very talented and beautiful women.
The backstage interview Mayumi did with Steve Cummings afteward was so charming and reveals a very nice personality. She can play a looong, dreamy and sophisticated fantasy on my big huge 9-foot Bosendorfer anytime. How can she be so charming on camera, yet so intense on the piano ? This girl is hot.
Yeol can do her Schumann Fantasiestucke on my 9-foot pride and joy too. I am sure she can be more exciting and powerful in “In der Nacht” than what she already played; you just have to tell her. That dress is so hot … she might as well take it off after playing that sparkling rhasody. Then she can play a few crazy, mindless and wild encores like Carter Catenaires or whatever …. and we’ll just enjoy it …
May 28th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Mike Winter said that Sakamoto turned out to be one of the very best and for most of her performance I felt the same. Again, its a dirty rotten shame the jury could not agree on this and the more I reflect on the gifts and potential of both Sakamoto and Zuo, the more I feel it was the wrong decision not to have them both in the semifinal round at the very least.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Don’t forget about Yoonjung Han. She is young and care-free and easy-going…. very attractive. What she needs is a strong master who can liberate her from these preconceived restraints …. so she would enjoy the ravishing qualities. This girl is getting hot and good.
Soyeon Lee is so emotional in her playing … maybe she can share some of that with Yoonjung.