|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Etudes Brutus
Tuesday, 11 October 2005
|
|
|
Chopin was known as the poet of the piano, the muse of the keyboard - this was how he was sometimes described. He was also a great discoverer and inventor of a new technique of piano playing and a new sound. He always looked for new, technical solutions and effects. He continually "dressed up his ideas in the refined attire of musical poems." His 27 etudes are masterpieces for "the fingers and the spirit." Once, confiding to his student Adolf Gutmann, he said, "Never in my life have I written such a beautiful tune." He was referring to his Etude in E major op. 10 no. 3. Robert Schumann once described the Etude in F minor op. 25 no. 2 in the following: "Its originality leaves an unforgettable impression. It is delightful, dreamy and probably as gentle as a child singing in its sleep."
Another two days of the first stage of the competition have passed, with 18 performers, among them seven Poles. An artistic confrontation is in progress between young players from the Far East and Polish virtuosos. This adds a special flavor to the competition, especially as the pianists have a lot to say here.
Let’s look at the etudes played in this part of the competition. What is the balance between "the fingers" and "the spirit?" It varies, but one thing is certain. The technical level of the etudes performed has in many cases surpassed expectations.
19-year-old Korean Yeol-Eum Son, taking advantage of the possibility of freely constructing a program, played 11 etudes selected from both opuses (10 and 25). This was not surprising because she has already recorded both full opuses. As a result, she handled all the textural tasks and problems spontaneously and with evident ease. One could offer a long analysis of the details of her performance. Previously, in Nocturne in D flat major and Ballade in F major, she demonstrated that she knew how to play expressively and that she was sensitive to various types of sound and color. Why then were her etudes less indicative of this then?
Bravado and breakneck speed are not enough. Mei-Ting Sun, representing the United States, knows this. In a TV interview, he has declared that he would like to render Chopin’s music in its many manifestations. He played the first five etudes from opus 10. For starters, he performed the well-known and very difficult "trick" of quickly combining the Etude in C major and A minor. A true piano sensation. When he wound up that part of his program with the fifth Etude in G flat major, and especially when he "pierced the air with the shiver" of the final octaves, the aroused sensitivity of the listener seemed to ask for more, with a readiness to listen to them all the way to etude 12, which means the full series. There was everything in his production. Pristine and at a record tempo; lightness and spontaneity, a comprehensive range of colors determining the quality of the sound and a host of textural curiosities—at times completely unnecessary because the demonstrated dose of piano virtuosity already defied full perception.
The same can be said of the Waltz in F major op. 34 no. 2; less so of the Nocturne in B major op. 62 no. 1, and still less of the "Raindrop" Prelude. Actually, one would be tempted—probably rightly so—to demand more... emotion. There’s definitely more emotion in the performance by Chinese pianist Wen-Yu Shen, educated in Germany. He also played his etudes outstandingly (B minor and Great Etude in A minor from op. 25). He delivered a beautiful sound rich in aliquots and exhibited, one should say, infallible articulation. He plays in a natural way, classicizing a bit—probably due to his "schooling," which, by the way, is an excellent German school.
Etudes performed by the blind 17-year-old, Nobuyuki Tsujii, were full of expression and at the same time technically unfailing: C major op. 10 no. 1 and G sharp minor op. 25 no. 6. This was a beautiful and moving recital that showed just how much one can achieve on sheer willpower. A short, expressive phrase is an original feature of this artist’s talent. The most important thing is that he was himself. Japan’s Shohei Sekimoto was also himself, but in a different, stage-virtuoso style. He demonstrated superior technique, primarily in the etudes, though his Waltz in A flat major op. 42 was also played with glamour and imagination.
Can one win the Chopin Competition solely thanks to the etudes? Actually, the question to ask is if a pianist has to play their etudes well in order to win the Competition? Let’s recount several "etude episodes" from the past. The year 1937: Jakov Zak and his legendary performance of the Chromatic Etude; 1955: Vladimir Ashknazy—Etude in F major op. 10 no. 8, followed by Etude in C major op. 10 no. 1 performed by Maurizio Pollini (1960), Martha Argerich (1965), Garrick Ohlsson, along with Etude in A minor op. 10 no. 2 (1970) and Etude in F major op. 10 no. 8 by Krystian Zimerman 30 years ago. Those were the early signs of brilliance that were subsequently confirmed in other works.
Let’s return to the "team" rivalry between the Far Eastern pianists and the Poles. We have an interesting group of young Polish pianists. In practice, there was no real weak link among those who played during the last two days. They play Chopin in a natural way and competently. They excel in narrative forms such as Fantasia in F minor (Marian Sobula, Marek Szlezer and Piotr Szychowski) and Ballade in F minor (Gracjan Szymczak and Krzysztof Trzaskowski). They know how to convey the character of the preludes or a waltz (Natalia Wandoch and Katarzyna Wasiak), which for many others seemed an unusually difficult task so far. When it comes to the etudes, the Poles have nothing to boast about in this area, even though the average level is improving compared to previous competitions. But this is still not enough. The "spirit" alone without the "fingers" is exactly the same as the "fingers" without the "spirit."
To play etudes also means to play Chopin.
Jan Popis
This article appears courtesy of The Warsaw Voice.
You will find more articles in connection with the 15th International F. Chopin Piano Competition in a competition Gazette at www.konkurs.chopin.pl and www.chopin.warsawvoice.pl
| |
|
|
 |
|
You are reading information from:
the world |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
