Van Cliburn

This was an a.ma.zing concert.

Let me acquaint you with Haochen Zhang. He is 19. He studies with Gary Graffman at Curtis. He won the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

19. Gold medal.

Whoa.

This was my christmas present from Drue and I loved every minute of it!

But first, a lesson in mathematics.

How long ago was 3 years old for you? 5 years old? 7?

For me, that was 23 years ago, 21 years and 19 years- which makes me feel old as I'm writing these sums down.

What were you doing at 3? I was getting potty-trained.

What were you doing at 5? I was in Kindergarten.

What were you doing at 7? I'm pretty sure I was riding my bike, playing games and just being a kid. I also distinctly remember pretending to be Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid' in my friends pool, drawing pictures of an elaborate Tooth-Fairy and collecting plastic horses.

But THIS guy?

At 3 he began piano lessons. At 5 he made his recital debut with ALL 15 Bach two-part inventions AND Sonatas by Haydn and Mozart!

And 7? Starring as the Soloist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, performing a Mozart Concerto!

Wow. Wow. Wow.

But the recital last night was- well, it's hard to put into words. The music, by itself, was moving enough. But his presentation, technique, tone- maybe just his general ability was so striking. I felt honored to BE there, listening.

The lineup:

Mozart- Piano Sonata in C Major K330

Brahms- Klavierstucke, Op.119

Chopin- Ballade no.4 in F minor

Schumann- Fantasy in C Major, Op.17

Stravinsky- Trois mouvements dr Petrouchka

First, I absolutely applaud his choice of recital material with one exception- I wish he had presented a Scarlatti Sonata or maybe a Bach suite.

The Mozart was my third favorite of the night as a whole. The clarity was perfect- not choppy, not muddy and NOT sloshy. His tone was almost bell-like, silver bells that stopped resonating whenever another bell sounded so there was no wash-over. The second movement was hauntingly played, the entire movement hovering between piano and pianissimo and EXPERTLY shaded, not too dark but not bright and always in a singing style. From my view (which was EXCELLENT)the strike of the keys was almost indecipherable until I heard the pure notes, any only then could I see what he was doing. Amazing.

The Brahms was played with ample facility. I'm not familiar enough with this particular piece to really do any review justice. In true Brahms style, the mid and low tambre was exploited to perfection- and furiously attacked in the 5th movement. It was fun to hear him singing along a la Glenn Gould:)

Chopin is one of my top 3 piano composers. Ever. I LOVE Chopin. And I love the Ballade. And I LOVE the way he played. The thing about Chopin is the control it takes to present his music with any kind of expertise- a delicate balance between a soaring soprano and a thunderous bass, light and dark, bright and mellow. Can you tell I loved this piece? I just sit back and let the music wash over me crest by crest. Heaven.

Now, a word about my personal feelings for Robert Schumann.

I have a deep appreciation for his writings, and literary work about the importance of music, his championing for composers and clever arguing as his two alter-egos: Florestan and Eusebius.

But I am not necessarily a HUGE fan of his music. He had a major inferiority complex and therefore was inclined to try and out-do his contemporaries resulting in long-winded composition that meanders. Essentially, he takes a LONG time to say what could be said more concisely.

I think you can surmise that the Schumann was not my favorite. There were some VERY nice moments and Mr. Zhang played flawlessly. But not my favorite.

THE STRAVINSKY HOWEVER!

THIS was my favorite of the night. Energetic, showy (yes), but CRAZY difficult. It was the perfect end to the recital. His fingers moved through the piece in a blur but each note rang true and clearly. The acrobatics were breath-taking. Fluidly moving over the keys his hands seemed to be everywhere all at once! The music was wonderful. Stravinsky would be proud of the performance. Petrouchka is grouped with The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, musically, and you can hear echoes of both in the work, although I tended to hear more Rite than Fire. It was exhilarating to watch- I got exhausted just trying to keep my eyes following his fluttering fingers.

He received a well-deserved standing ovation.

I think standing ovations are done FAR too often now- they are almost commonplace. I have made a conscious decision to not give more than 3 a year. It was gratifying to give one to this deserving young man.

Now, go support your local Classical group!!!!!