By Lyn Bronson
Looking suavely elegant with a blue waistcoat and gold watch chain, András Schiff stepped out on stage at Sunset Center in Carmel last night to open the season for the Carmel Music Society and proved, if proof were necessary, that he can perform as elegantly as he looks.
Schiff has an affinity for the classics of the 18th and 19th century piano repertoire, and, in fact, professes a dislike for music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Solidly rooted in the comfort zone stretching from Bach to Schumann, it is here that he has made his mark. Although we tend to regard András Schiff as one of the preeminent pianists of his generation, more recently he has shown an inclination to close up the big black box, reach up on a shelf, grab a baton, and establish a reputation as a conductor — not merely an occasional Mozart concerto from the keyboard, but I mean conducting works as thorny as Bach’s B Minor Mass. In fact, during his west coast tour, which included Vancouver, Seattle and his performance for the Carmel Music Society, Schiff will be conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic on October 28, 29 and 30 in a series of three concerts at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where in addition to performing and conducting from the keyboard the Haydn Keyboard Concerto in D Major and Schumann’s Introduction and Allegro Appassionato, he will also conduct the orchestra in a Mendelssohn Symphony and Schumann’s “Spring†Symphony.
In his recital for the Carmel Music Society, only two composers were represented: Haydn and Beethoven. In the first half of the recital we heard works that were humorous and quirky. The opening piece, Haydn’s Capriccio in G Major, Hob.XVII/1, has a fragmentary sub text, “Acht Sauschneider müssen sein,†which, unless my German is totally faulty, is a reference to eight men who castrate pigs for a living. The Capriccio itself does not attempt to create recognizable sounds of squealing pigs and snipping knives, but rather derives its humor from the buffoonery we might expect from people employed in this lowly occupation. In any case, the piece waffles around, and while achieving nothing especially memorable, it nevertheless has its moments of humor and charm.
Of a more significant nature was the second work on the program, Haydn’s Sonata in E minor, Hob.XVI/34. Schiff tended to treat the first movement of this sonata with an almost Baroque reverence, using pedal ever so sparingly and achieving lovely clear passage work that outlined and emphasized the many stops and starts characteristic of this movement. After a nicely shaped slow movement, we heard some of the best playing of the evening in the crown jewel of this sonata, the charming and appealing Rondo, Vivace molto innocentemente.
Ending the first half of the program was a prime example of Beethoven’s humor (and homage to Haydn), the Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31, No. 1. The first movement of this Sonata has its fun with the right hand constantly chasing the beat. Just at the point we are about to become tired of these perpetual syncopations, Beethoven introduces a lovely second theme in B major, immediately followed by a statement in minor. Schiff had a lot of fun with the interplay between these elements and gave us a charming performance. The second movement of this sonata begins with an overload of Rococo decoration, which again is on the verge of becoming tiresome, when suddenly it evolves into a dramatic and sinister mood in A-flat major. In the playful last movement, Schiff’s playing created a great deal of magic with its rhythmic precision and vitality.
After intermission we heard the more serious fare of the evening with Haydn’s great set of Variations in F Minor and Beethoven’s “Waldstein†Sonata. The Haydn Variations are unusual in that there are two themes, one in minor and one in major, which seem to exist in parallel universes and whose paths never quite cross. Schiff achieved a cumulative effectiveness in this work with a very intense climax that was clear and beautifully controlled.
In Beethoven’s “Waldstein†Sonata that ended the program, Schiff produced his most dramatic playing of the evening, but also his most disappointing. It was the first movement that made the greatest effect, for here the playing was bold and direct. The brief slow movement, Introduzione, Adagio molto, was spiky and failed to achieve the smooth mood of sustained suspense, while the final movement, Rondo: Allegretto moderato, was so slow that it constantly threatened to unravel. All was forgiven, however in the Prestissimo final pages, when Schiff awakened the sleeping giant and zoomed full throttle to the end. Now, that was satisfying.
Mr. Schiff received a rousing standing ovation and rewarded us with one encore, the Hungarian Melody in B Minor by Schubert. After the concert during a Champagne reception in Sunset Center’s lobby, Schiff graciously met with members of the audience and also signed copies of two CDs — one was Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and the other was the first four Beethoven Sonatas.
