The Hungarian pianist, Péter Tóth, thrilled the audience at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Carmel Friday night with a recital whose second half was as exciting as any performance I have ever heard. He showed that it takes a Horowitzian technique to play Franz Liszt’s music truly convincingly. After intermission, Tóth played one virtuosic powerhouse composition after another, each building to a fantastic rendition of Liszt’s Funerailles. It was a most unusual program, to say the least.

Tóth opened with Haydn’s Sonata in B Minor, Hob. XVI:32 and followed with Schubert’s Sonata in A Minor, D. 537. He played with wonderful clarity and control but I found these two compositions to be unconvincing and the playing to be a bit too controlled. He played the Haydn like early Mozart, and I would have preferred he played it more like Beethoven—perhaps then it might not have seemed so interminable. The Schubert seemed like a lesser composition by that composer. I would have liked to hear some of his other masterpieces, such as the Moments Musicaux rather than that sonata. However, from the sound of the applause at the end of the first half of the program, it was obvious that the audience did not share my opinion.

The second half of Tóth’s program featured seven “über-virtuoso” pieces. There was no holding back by Tóth with these pieces—he played them all with great panache and enthusiasm, and the audience roared their approval after each one. Debussy’s Prelude “What the West Wind Saw” demonstrated the full range of both the piano and of Toth’s incredible pianism. This was followed by the “Revolutionary Etude” and the “Ocean Waves Etude” by Chopin. Tóth played with such purity that I felt I was hearing these pieces for the first time. He created gorgeous sounds with the Scriabin Etude in D-Sharp Minor, Op. 8, No. 12, although I felt myself yearning for him to allow himself to run a bit wild in the piece. The performance seemed to lack a bit of Horowitz’s neurotic frenzy to make it sound more compelling.

When Péter Tóth finally got around to playing Liszt’s music, he came into his own and created the most vital, authentic, and emotionally satisfying performances of the evening. The Liszt Transcendental Etude Mazeppa was perfection itself, as were the Funerailles and the concluding Schumann-Liszt song transcription Widmung (“Dedication”). Tóth made the beginning of the latter piece sound like the piano was softly crying–an extraordinary effect achieved by a master pianist.

Tóth played one lovely encore, the slow movement from the Sonata No. 1 in C Major by Brahms.

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Opening with the Schumann Fantasie, the pianist created long singing melodic lines. I don‘t think that the Fantasie is Schumann’s greatest work but there are wonderful moments in it. At the end of the first movement the pianist plays a sustained suspension chord while delicate upper register chords are played before the harmonic resolution—which creates a magical effect.

Mr. Boepple showed amazing accuracy in his left hand jumps to low bass notes in the second movement. Another stunning moment was created when he literally melted from the second movement into the hymnal sounding last movement. Like a Chopin Nocturne, this third movement had a lovely vocal quality to its melody. The pianist evidenced tremendous control with his poco-a-poco accelerandos and crescendos.

The second half of this Sunday afternoon recital was devoted to the Liszt Sonata. Here Boepple was like a fire-breathing dragon with a whole new palette of tone colors. This was masculine, wild, vital, exciting piano playing. This composition is a work of genius. It has an organic unity to it and yet it encompasses all of life. In many ways it is the ultimate romantic music.

For an encore, the pianist said that he wanted Bach to have the last word. So he performed the Fugue in B Major from Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Many in the audience commented later that the Bach Fugue was their favorite piece of the recital. It was music of Heaven, a perfect ending to a wonderful recital. I for one, would love to hear an all Bach recital by Hans Boepple.

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Holland Garcia is a local piano teacher and composer, one of the few pianists who makes house calls, teaching in students’ homes .

On Sunday March 6 at Cabrillo College in Aptos, Pianist Frank Wiens presented an afternoon recital of primarily Spanish music that was totally thrilling. There is something about Spanish music that lifts the heart ― a wonderful element of joyousness found in the music of De Falla, Albeniz, Granados, and other Spanish composers. 

In the first two short sonatas by Antonio Soler, which reminded me of Scarlatti, although perhaps lacking Scarlatti’s genius, Wiens showed that he is a consummate musician with a lovely tone and impeccable technique. 

The next two selections from Iberia by Albeniz were enchanting and had beguiling melodies that exuded the languid, humid, sultry sensuality for which Spain is famous. In these pieces and the four Pieces Espagnoles by De Falla that followed, Wiens demonstrated the quality of playfulness in Spanish music, which brought a smile to my face again and again.  

Franz Liszt’s Rhapsodie Espagnole that ended the first half of the program was definitely, as the pianist remarked, “More Lisztian than Spanish.” Wiens played it with tremendous virtuosity and élan.

The second half of the recital began with a piece by Joaquin Rodrigo, the blind Spanish composer most famous for his guitar pieces like Concerto de Aranjuez and Fantasia para un gentilhombre. This piece, A L’ombre De Torre Bermeja, had a magical ending that imitated the tolling of church bells. The chords played truly did sound like bells.

Two pieces by Granados followed — the famous “Maiden and the Nightingale” and Los Requiebros (Both from Goyescas). They were played with great sensitivity. Next Wiens presented one of Debussy’s preludes, La Puerta Del Vino, which the pianist suggested was more Moorish sounding than Spanish.

Concluding the recital with Horowitz’s dramatic “Variations on a theme from Bizet’s Opera Carmen,” the pianist brought down the house with his dazzling virtuosity. The audience literally erupted with a storm of cheers and bravos. It was one of the most vocal and enthusiastic audiences I have ever heard. With this recital (plus one encore, a beautiful short piece by Mompou) Frank Wiens proved that Spanish music, in addition to being beautiful and moving, is also just plain fun.

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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.

On Sunday, November 14^th at an afternoon recital at Cabrillo College for the Distinguished Artists Concert and Recital Series, we had an opportunity to hear virtuoso Pianist Andrew von Oeyen. He is a pianist who displays formidable virtuoso technique and musicianship. He is also of such extraordinary height (he appears to be about 6’8”) that he actually makes a nine foot Steinway Grand look small! He demonstrated three very different types of piano playing this afternoon. In the first half of the program, he presented works of Frederic Chopin and in the second half, pieces by Franz Liszt. 

Opening with the complete Chopin Preludes, Opus 28, he seemed ill at ease. Only when playing the famous ‘Teardrop Prelude” did he get into his stride, although many of the preludes were played magnificently. This was followed by Chopin’s Ballade No. 1in G Minor, Opus 23. Oeyen is a very smooth pianist who plays with impeccable taste and sensitivity, although at times, I found his playing too safe and restrained.This type of piano playing reminded me of the famous quip by Arthur Rubinstein in which he complained that the younger generation of pianists played all the notes, but their performances left us asking the question, “Where is the music?” 

In the second half of the program Oeyen played with much more élan and conviction, and he showed a true affinity for the music of Liszt. Nuages Gris, the opening piece, was the composition I enjoyed the most on the whole program. It is a harmonically adventuresome piece that sounded as though it were composed in the 1980s rather than the 1880s when Liszt actually wrote it. After that Oeyen played Liszt’s Ballade No. 1 and two paraphrases—Wagner-Liszt “Elsa’s Bridal Procession from Lohengrin, and the Verdi-Liszt “Rigoletto Paraphrase.” Since these pieces were performed with greater freedom and individual creativity, I enjoyed this half of the recital the most as Oeyen created moments of true magic. 

When presenting the two Chopin encores, Oeyen revealed an entirely different type of pianism and music making. I got the impression that he felt fully relaxed for the first time and was able to play at his absolute best — and then he was utterly magnificent! He played the Chopin Minute Waltz and the D-Flat Major Nocturne, Opus 27, No. 2 with a ravishingly beautiful singing tone and a mesmerizing musicianship that eclipsed everything else he had done so far in the recital. 

All of us who need to be more relaxed during performance would do well to adopt the attitude of famous jazz musician Miles Davis. When queried as to how he could be so at ease in performing in front of thousands of people, Miles explained that he found it easier to imagine he was not there to entertain the audience; he was simply allowing them to listen to him practice! Oeyen has extraordinary talent. If only he could play a whole recital with the same relaxed state of mind we heard in his encores, he would easily be counted as one of the top pianists in the world.  

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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.

Thomas Schultz, a member of the piano faculty at Stanford University, presented a stunning recital of all Schubert piano pieces at the home of Lyn & Renée Bronson this afternoon. He opened with the Deutsche Tänze, D.783 (German Dances), a charming set of short and shorter pieces that sounded like miniature Strauss waltzes suffused with Viennese charm. 

Next he played one of the most often played of all Schubert’s piano compositions — the Wanderer Fantasy in C Major, D. 760 that Schubert composed when he was 25 years old. With this piece Schultz hit his stride and sounded more in control than in the opening piece. The Wanderer Fantasy is not altogether successful as a composition, in my opinion. It sounds a bit bombastic at times and almost like Schubert was trying to sound like Franz Liszt — and was not completely successful in that attempt. The piano writing at times is reminiscent of Czerny’s studies for piano; however there are moments that are charming. Although it has four movements, it sounds very improvisatorial and is played like one long single movement.  

The second half of the program was by far the most enjoyable (for me) and most successful—the pianist sounded completely warmed up and played his best. The Sonata in B-Flat Major, D. 960, is Schubert’s last sonata completed just months before his death at the age of 31 in 1828. It opens with a hauntingly beautiful pianissimo theme that reoccurs throughout the Sonata. This piece sounded like pure Schubert — as if he had at last found his authentic voice and was being true to himself and expressing his innermost feelings with great simplicity and beauty. There are moments in this sonata where the pianist makes a grand pause — a long rest of total silence — to wondrous effect, showing that, paradoxically, there is often nothing more powerful than silence.

There is a majesty and mastery to this Sonata that reminded me of Beethoven’s last three piano sonatas. At times the music sounded as though Schubert were contemplating his life and his imminent death. There were passages expressing despair, joy, exaltation, and profound peace. With such a variety of emotions expressed, the music never dragged nor wore out its welcome. Thomas Schultz played with a smoothness and mastery of technique that made the music shine.  

Holland Garcia is a local piano teacher and composer, one of the few who makes house calls, teaching in students’ homes around the Peninsula.

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Those fortunate enough to attend Hélene 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 19^th 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 Hélene 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.

Cyril Scott, the author of “Music: Its Secret Influence Throughout the Ages,” claimed that Beethoven’s music brought about a more compassionate society. He was convinced that Beethoven expressed emotion so overtly that it encouraged Europeans to display their feelings and become more humane and empathetic towards others. It is certainly true that even in the early Sonatas, Beethoven displayed emotions in a more forceful manner than any composer who preceded him.

The second piece Boepple played was the great Samuel Barber Sonata for Piano, Op. 26. This is a monumental masterpiece that was given a totally convincing performance.  After the energetic and somewhat frenetic first movement, the second movement was a welcome respite with its delightful humorous touches. The slow and singing third movement was followed by an almost jazzy sounding fugue, which seemed to pay homage to Bach.

I found the second half of the program to be the most enjoyable. Boepple opened with the Chopin Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60, which he played gorgeously. Then he played the three selections from Venezia e Napoli by Liszt. The impressionistic Gondoliera opens with a fogbound Venice, and then when the sun comes out, a gondolier sings a beautifully sweet melody, and the piece fades away with a magical sounding ending. The Canzona sounded like a transcription of a song for voice and orchestra, but with a melody that only a piano could sing. The last piece, Tarantella, was a virtuosic tour-de-force that brought the recital to a thrilling conclusion. There were two encores by Chopin:  the “Aeolian” Harp Etude, Op. 25, No. 1, and the Etude Op. 25, No. 2, which I thought were the best performances of the afternoon.

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Pianist Thomas Schultz, who performed in a Sunday afternoon recital at the Bronson Piano Studio in the Carmel Highlands, is a sensitive and lyrical pianist who emphasizes that the piano sounds best when it does not sound like the percussive instrument that it is. By focusing on the gentle sweet sounds that the piano can create when played lovingly and softly, the pianist, who truly has a vast orchestral palette of sounds (but mostly used his velvet touch), made this recital very enjoyable.

He sounded at his best in the second half of the program, which consisted entirely of the great B-flat Major Sonata, D. 960, by Franz Schubert. This monumental work in four movements was like a wondrous story that in Schultz’s hands unfolded with a smooth fluidity that carried the listener along through the ethereal first movement, to the sad second movement, to the happy scherzo third movement, and on to the zippy, almost Beethoven-like, last movement. There were no encores.

The first half of the program consisted of two contemporary works which the pianist played most sympathetically. First he played the third of “Four Pieces for Piano” by Frederic Rzewski followed by “Variations” by Hyo-shin Na. The Rzewski piece was atmospheric with some very pianistic effects. A few of the exotic harmonies reminded me of Stravinsky’s Petrouchka. Some of the music was enchanting, and some was discordant — but all of it was compelling.

The “Variations” by Na had a driving rhythm and occasionally a more feminine quality to it, which is understandable since the composer is the pianist’s wife. There were moments of magic in this piece, reminding me of what Brahms told Arthur Abell, author of ”Talks with Great Composers,” that before composing anything, he would attune himself to the Divine. Brahms said, “When I feel the urge [to compose] I begin by appealing directly to my maker…after I have formulated my desire and resolve in regard to what I want — namely, to be inspired so that I can compose something that will uplift and benefit humanity — something of permanent value.”

This was a most enjoyable recital on a delightful sunny afternoon!

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Frank Wiens, a true Poet of the Piano, gave a recital of high energy and great beauty this afternoon at the home of Lyn and Renée Bronson in the Carmel highlands. Mr. Wiens is a pianist who makes music, not someone who just plays the piano. His playing is both technically perfect and musically thrilling.

He opened his recital with Mozart’s Adagio in B Minor, K. 540 and showed that he can create great drama and is not afraid to express the humanity of Mozart. This was no “Dresden doll” approach, but rather was a full-bodied intensely emotional Mozart. By judiciously giving a great deal of pedal to the melodic line, Wiens created a warmth of tone that was inviting and compelling – and always clear and clean.

In introducing the next piece, Haydn’s Fantasy in C Major, Hob. XVII/4, Wiens said that “…while the first piece was Mozart at his most serious, this piece is Haydn at his happiest, and joyousness fills this piece.” And indeed it did. This Fantasy is a sprightly, overtly happy little piece that at times reminded me of the twittering of happy birds. A bit slower tempo at the beginning might have made for a bit more clarity but the pianist very soon found his groove.

It was in the third section of the recital that Wiens, I feel, sounded the best. He played two selections by Chopin-Nocturne in D-Flat, Op. 27, No. 2 and the Third Scherzo (C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39). The former piece, with its floating melody like Saint Saens’ The Swan, was magical. And the scherzo’s cascading notes were like mini waterfalls. Wiens created long lines that made the notes coalesce into coherent and cogent musical statements.

This was followed by a delightful piece by Kodaly, Dances of Marosszek.  It could have easily been labeled as Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 21!  Witty, charming, with a very 20^th century sensibility, it leads to a dramatic and Lisztian climax at its conclusion.

The second half of the program was dedicated to Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor. At almost one half hour in length, it is easy to make this piece an episodic and formless fantasy-like piece. Wiens managed to convey its inner structure and present it as what it really is – a sonata in form and intent. For encores he played the B Major Nocturne, Op. 62, No. 1 by Chopin and the B Minor Prelude from Opus 32 by Rachmaninoff. Both were played magnificently.

Frank Wiens plays the piano as though it were an orchestra – he makes the piano sing gloriously and roar when he wants it to, and always he plays with impeccable taste and musicality. Bravo!

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Holland Garcia, a pianist, composer and teacher, is a frequent contributor to Peninsula Reviews.

This was a very unusual program of all transcriptions. While it could have been labeled “The Art of Transcription”, it might better have been called, “The Art of Great Piano Playing.” She opened with Rachmaninoff’s transcription of three selections from Bach’s Violin Partita No.3 in E Major and demonstrated a fine grasp of delicate finger work.

The second set of transcriptions showed Wu at her best. These four Schubert songs, transcribed by Franz Liszt, were played with great sensitivity and gloriously beautiful singing tone. She managed to bring the listener into the songs and captivate them with a true romantic manner of playing. I felt that the famous “Serenade” was the most engaging of them all, although the “Earl King” was phenomenal with its repeated octaves taken at breathtaking pace.

The second half of the program opened with Leopold Godowsky’s “Seven Concert Studies on Chopin’s Etude in G-Flat, Op. 10, No. 5 ‘Black Key.’” The first of these studies was, compositionally speaking, the most successful. It was the only one to bear a significant resemblance to the famous Black Key etude and was for the left hand alone.  The other studies were more like curiosities and even though they were very well played, were too much like Czerny exercises.

Wu then played two transcriptions by the English pianist, Stephen Hough, of Richard Rodgers Broadway tunes.  Both “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music” and “Hello, Young Lovers” from “The King and I” were a delight to hear.

It was with the last number that Di Wu showed her world class technique. This piece bridged three centuries as it was composed originally by Mozart in the 18^th Century, then transcribed by Liszt in the 19^th Century, and then further arranged by Busoni in the 20^th Century. Wu introduced “The Fantasy on Themes from The Marriage of Figaro” by saying how intimidated she felt when first seeing the score as it had so many notes it looked practically black. She played it with an élan and virtuosity that was mesmerizing.  The speed and accuracy of her playing was equal to any of the greatest pianists of the past. There were no encores.

I predict a long and successful career for Di Wu. The best compliment that I could give her would be to say that I welcome the chance to hear her again, playing anything, as this was one of the most enjoyable recitals that I have ever heard.

Holland Garcia, a pianist and teacher residing on the Monterey Peninsula, is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music (University of Toronto). He is also a composer and recording artist. He is one of the few piano teachers who do house calls, going to student’s homes around the Peninsula to teach lessons.

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