Midday Masterpieces (2/1/17)

Tomer Gewirtzman (piano)
Couperin – Passacaglia in B minor
Corigliano – Fantasia on an Ostinato
Schumann – Fantasie, Op. 17

This was my third or fourth free midday concert at the Jerome L. Greene space, courtesy of WQXR, and it was another winner.

Couperin’s Passacaglia was mostly calm, with varied increases in volume, though it had many embellishments—figures moving around a single note (trills, etc.) before settling in on the pitch. Mr. Gewirtzman, a student in the graduate program at Juilliard, created a very nice arc, in terms of increasing volume and intensity and then returning to quiet.

The Corigliano (based on a Beethoven theme) was really very interesting. Before finally arriving at the Beethoven theme, it was a study on repeated notes. Not Philip Glass–esque repeated notes, but repeated notes that had different weights/lengths/
strengths—it was very intriguing. I also jotted down that his control of dynamics, especially in the multiple repeated notes was astounding. By that, I mean that I was literally astounded. His control and shading of dynamics was incredible, to the point where I found myself wondering, “How does he do that?” I found myself thinking about how he was shading the dynamics, which is both a good and bad thing. Good, because it was so good. Bad, because I was thinking about the technique and not about the music. More to the point, I wasn’t purely enjoying the music, I was thinking about the music.

The Schumann, in three movements, was described from the stage as a love letter to Clara Wieck. The first movement was unabashedly Romantic (musical style) and romantic (real-life style). I was reminded, in one sense, of the songs to come from Schumann, i.e., the prolific lieder and song cycles. The second movement had a bright and solidly positive martial theme, followed by what was, once again, a song-like setting that ended with a loud, full finish. The third movement had a calm opening that led to a song-like section. In fact, the entire movement was almost like love song after love song, as if each one had to come forward—they couldn’t be held back.

My only quibble (and it’s incredibly minor) is that I was so intrigued by his shading of dynamics that it interfered with my enjoyment of the artistry. When he does (and I’m pretty sure he will) mature through this, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

Concert Meister