By Holland Garcia
Those fortunate enough to attend Hélène Wickett’s recital of Beethoven’s last three piano sonatas at Cabrillo College’s new recital hall were treated to a feast of exquisite pianism, sublime music, and supreme musicianship. Ms. Wickett is a pianist of extraordinary control and orchestral coloration. At times I felt as though I were hearing an orchestra in miniature with her full-spectrum palate of tonal colors and her amazing ability to play with great clarity so that one could hear all of the inner melodies. Even though I am not unfamiliar with these three sonatas, Wickett’s playing of them made me feel like it was the first time I was truly hearing them.
I can’t remember when I attended a piano recital and felt so disappointed each time a piece ended, because I enjoyed the playing so much I wanted it to go on forever. Wickett is a heartfelt player who obviously feels the emotions of the music and can convey them. There is smoothness and mastery to her playing that gives one the feeling that she herself is inside the music and you are invited in. In addition, her genuine humility was perfectly suited to this music.
Curiously, Beethoven’s Opus 109 and 110 sonatas sound like two parts of one piece while the last sonata, the Opus 111, sounds like a radical departure from 19th century sensibility. All three sonatas have a certain timeless quality to them, but the Sonata Opus 111 sounds modern at times, perhaps because it leaves rigid forms behind and focuses on expressing pure emotion. It is astonishing to consider that Beethoven was almost totally deaf when he composed these pieces, which were published in the early 1820s.
At one point in the recital I marveled at the perfection of it all. The hall has wonderful acoustics, the Steinway concert grand sounded gorgeous, the music was as good as it gets, and the pianist was the perfect medium for recreating these sonatas. Perhaps my companion best summed up Hélène Wickett when she turned to me and said, “This pianist is too marvelous for words!”
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Holland Garcia is a local piano teacher and composer, one of the few who makes house calls, teaching in students’ homes around the Peninsula.
