Beth Levin, piano (1/26/19)

Keyboard Suite in D minor – I. Prelude; II. Allemande; III. Courante;
IV. Sarabande; V. Gigue – George Frederick Handel (1685–1759)
“Memories of That First Summer” – Wang Jie (b. 1980)
Two Pieces for Piano – “Dithyramb” (Andante appassionato); “Ode to the Past” (Lento) – Vladimir N. Drozdoff (1882–1960)
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 – I. Vivace ma non troppo – Adagio espressivo; II. Prestissimo; III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung (“Singingly, with the most inner feeling”) – Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo –
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

The Handel suite was an early work and was reminiscent of some of the J.S. Bach keyboard suites. I recall thinking, “This is not the Handel of Messiah fame.” The first movement had a lot of forward moving sound and energy, while the second had the feel of a two-part invention that then grew a bit. The third movement was gentle but still with a lot of motion. The fourth was slightly more rhythmic, including a little bit of tenderness, though there were hints of power, too. The fifth and final movement was bright and rhythmic, possibly theme and variations, and was explosive at times.

Ms. Jie’s piece was a wistful waltz that was tuneful, even with a few dissonances from time to time. A brighter, choppier section was next followed by a haunting section with added drama. It was continually pretty but wandered a bit—well, more than a bit, actually. Ms. Jie was in the audience and went on stage to take a bow with Ms. Levin.

The first of the Drozdoff pieces (a composer new to me) had a modern Romantic feel with big tunes and harmonies and a heart-warming quality. The second was gentler but still with rich harmonies, and pleasantly somber at times.

The first movement of the Beethoven was dramatic, expressive, and solid without being overwhelming. There were lots of musical ideas and you wanted to hear and enjoy every one of them. The second movement had a strong martial quality and then a calming response, and the third was a lovely song-like theme that was followed by several variations. I just sat back and enjoyed them.

All in all, it was a very pleasant afternoon of music.

ConcertMeister