Stellar Piano at Piccolo Spoleto

Reviews like this are read, more often than not, by people who were not at the performance, and it is virtually impossible to convey what the experience was really like: the setting, the ambiance, the energy of the performers, and particularly the quality of the music and its effect in the moment. (In this case, I was sitting on the floor at the back of the hall, leaning against the wall with my eyes closed a large part of the time, listening to the stirring works of Rachmaninoff and Chopin). But wouldn’t it be more interesting to read “a little taste in advance” as a preview that might tempt you to see the performance, rather than just the afterword? Seems like it would be worth at least an experiment. What do you think?

pianist Sean Kennard

But back to the concert. Sean Kennard—another accomplished student of Enrique Graf—has a relaxed, professional demeanor at the keyboard that immediately puts you at ease. He comes across as a genuine player more than a stage performer, which draws you in even further. His technique is very polished, his expression ultra clear. So much so that you forget about the piano and simply hear the music that he delivers through it—which is rare, and which made me think of the line in the film “Mao to Mozart” when Isaac Stern reminds a young violinist: “You don’t use music to play the violin, you use the violin to play music.” That’s when it becomes art. And that’s what Sean did today as part of the Piccolo Spoleto “Young Artists Series” when he played three pieces by Rachmaninoff and then was joined by five string players—fellow students at the College of Charleston—for Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 in E minor.

Sean Kennard and Friends

Sean skillfully managed the Rachmaninoff works, beautifully capturing the Russian composer’s unique blend of poetry and magnificence. He did equal justice to the Chopin concerto (one of only two by Chopin) which contains several rousing passages that build gradually in feeling and intensity, but which Sean did not overplay.

After four dynamic pieces, he concluded with an encore of Debussy’s Clair de Lune, which further exhibited Sean’s exquisite sensitivity and delicate touch. All the while, I could not help but glance now and then at mentor Enrique Graf to see his reaction. From all indications, it is immensely gratifying for him to see his young protegés flourishing like this. And thanks to Piccolo Spoleto, we get to reap some of the listening benefit for ourselves. ¶

Back for More Baroque

New Trinity Baroque is simply fun to watch and superb to listen to. So back I went to First Scots Presbyterian Church for their final Piccolo Spoleto performance and another all-Vivaldi program that more than met my expectations.

New Trinity Baroque ensemble

The five concertos they played made for such good listening partly because they are not too long. As musical director Predrag Gosta (at far left) pointed out, Vivaldi wrote many of his concertos for church services so the pieces had to subscribe to a defined time limit—a restriction that seems to have brought out the best in Vivaldi’s already compact style of composing. A good example was the Cello Concerto in D Minor which featured André O’Neil. The second movement in particular contained hauntingly beautiful passages, the likes of which I have not heard from Vivaldi before. In this case, I wish the movement had lasted longer, so captivating it was. Equally interesting was André himself who plays with a self-contained, almost monastic poise that belies his passion for the cello.

violinist Carrie Krause

Contrastingly, violinist Carrie Krause plays with innocent exuberance. The instrument floats on her shoulder—she appears barely to hold it at all—as her fingers and bow romp across the top of it with liquid ease and expertise. Her obvious pleasure in performing also carries (no pun intended) over to the audience.

Especially nice was the final piece of the day—Concerto in E Minor—when she and fellow violinist Adriane Post had a whimsical musical ‘conversation’. Their mutual playing brings a lightness to the group, as does their clear and delicate sound—both of which were appropriate to the piece itself. Written late in Vivaldi’s life, it evokes an endearing tenderness.

For many years, Antonio Vivaldi composed pieces that were performed by teenage girls under his musical tutelage at the Ospedale ‘orphanage’. It seems fitting then that two female violinists are presenting these delightful works with this extremely gifted ensemble. ¶

Learn more about New Trinity Baroque and their recordings.

Learn more about Antonio Vivaldi.

A Mesmerizing Intermezzo

Andrew von Oeyen is a dazzling pianist. Not many people can do all those tricks on the keyboard—so fast, all from memory, and with such swagger. The critics regard Mr. von Oeyen as a gifted performer mature beyond his playing years. And he is clearly a talented showman. But what do his audiences think? What do they really feel during and after his recitals?

Pianist Andrew von Oeyen

I for one was astonished by his speed, precision, and superhuman control. At the same time it felt a little like going to the circus and watching an acrobat do a few death-defying leaps and take several exciting risks with undeterred confidence before jaunting toward the audience, bowing rapidly, and skipping off stage. You’re breathless in the moment, but the experience leaves no residue.

In the case of Andrew’s Spoleto “Intermezzo” performance at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, I remember what I saw, but quickly forgot what I had heard. His rapid-fire showcase, impressive as it was, superseded the music. It muddied the musical message. It was, unfortunately, too much ado about the performer.

Who doesn’t admire brilliance and would not love to have more of it? But the question is to what end? Certainly, when artists themselves remain pure instruments, everyone—especially the performer—is rewarded in unexpected ways. It is a secret of great art and of the greatest talent. ¶

Want to hear a very different perspective? Read Lindsay Koob’s review for the City Paper.

New Trinity is a Baroque Treat

New Trinity Baroque is a musical experience not to be missed. You can’t help but feel the passion of this Atlanta-based group as they play. They are wedded to their instruments, engrossed in the music, and painstaking about the slightest nuances of sound. Sunday at First Scots Presbyterian they put on an impeccable performance of five Vivaldi concertos entitled “Venice in Storm.”

Violinist Adriane Post

The original instruments they play don’t have the crisp, clear sound we’ve come to expect. At first the playing sounds squeaky and muffled. But once your ear gets accustomed to the sound, something nice happens. The music starts to exude rich, warm tones. Sort of like the depth of black-and-white photographs compared to color.

The ensemble (6 members of the group on this day) plays with a silky smooth style and in effortless unison. They come across as musical connoisseurs as well as virtuoso performers, yet they communicate extremely well with the audience. I felt like a welcome guest—which is not common at large public performances. Meanwhile the church setting added to the visceral sense of Vivaldi, conveying the joyful, spirited, and often sacred quality of his music.

Carrie Krause, violin and William Bauer, viola “plucking”

By design, the program grew stronger and stronger as the ‘storm’ gathered. After an opening piece, each of the four soloists highlighted their skills in a series of concertos. Carrie Krause (baroque violin), William Bauer (viola d’amour), André Laurent O’Neil (baroque cello), and Adriane Post (baroque violin) were each a delight to listen to in a program that concluded with a stirring rendition of ‘Winter’ from the Four Seasons.

As I stepped out of the church into the balmy afternoon light, I suspected that the effect of this concert might linger for the rest of the day—which, happily, it did. ¶

Read more about this group in Lindsay Koob’s review for the City Paper.

Chopin on Tap at Piccolo Spoleto

What an opportunity for five College of Charleston music students: to perform at Piccolo Spoleto. And what an experience for the audience in the Albert Simmons Center: to hear five gifted students of Enrique Graf. Talent and teaching were both on vivid display.

Each of the students (David Keiser, Chee Hang See, Micah McLaurin, Jesus Manuel Toro, and Lisa Lee) played works by Frédéric Chopin. Each player was articulate, expressive, and in solid command of the keyboard. And all of them were impressive to watch. So consistently, in fact, that you could not help but feel the influential hand of their mentor, Enrique Graf. He can mold talent, that’s for sure.

Something especially nice about this concert was the chance to hear five different pianists playing five different Chopin pieces. You usually hear one pianist play a full or partial Chopin program, and you go away with an impression of that pianist’s rendering of the Polish master. But in this case, in addition to getting a good taste of each pianist’s interpretation and technique, you came away with a clear sense of Chopin himself. In particular, his robust and inexhaustible exploration of the keyboard.

Frédéric Chopin

Chopin’s music is appealing in large part because it can be romantic, brooding, sentimental, playful, and profound in the same piece as well as in different pieces. And whatever his mood or expression, the music exhibits his indelible style. It’s Chopin. Nobody else found those same remarkable chords and combination of sounds which never lose their lyrical quality or their ability to alter our inner landscape.

Perhaps because Chopin’s music has so much character, pianists seem to feel that they must ‘show’ how deeply they sense the music in their playing of it. But that is always a tiresome distraction for the audience—which is something else that was so refreshing about this performance by Enrique’s young students. They were just themselves trying to play these extremely demanding keyboard pieces. Consequently, we the audience were not distracted by their ownership of Chopin’s expressiveness. We were simply left to witness the awesome breadth of Chopin’s musical flair and his relentless fervor in plumbing the piano’s, and his own, depths. ¶