A review of the concert on October 12, 2008 by Sharon Brook.
The spacious and sumptuously appointed McAfee Theatre was a fitting setting for the grand talent of Grammy-winner Garrick Ohlsson on October 12, 2008. The second concert of the Steinway Society’s Piano Series 2008-9 showcased Mr. Ohlsson’s musical depth as well as his prodigious technique.
His unusual program juxtaposed classicism – in the form of two Beethoven sonatas — with late romanticism — in the form of selected Scriabin works. In the first half, he seemed to invoke the spirit of early Beethoven with his dramatic performance of the “Pathetique” Sonata, Op. 13. The “grave” introduction was voiced orchestrally, with hefty bass chords set against a melismatic melody. The ensuing “allegro” projected fine clarity and fluency with a judicious use of pedal throughout. His dynamic palette was wide. He perfectly captured Beethoven’s impetuosity — his “con brio” marking — in this charged movement. In the “Adagio” second movement, he projected a singing (“cantabile”) line with breathable phrasing. He subtly bent the tempo (“rubato”) to underscore new ideas and sections. The final rondo was sprightly and light on its feet, with pungent “staccatos,” but with the overriding melody always in the forefront. This was dry-eyed Beethoven; Mr. Ohlsson never overplayed, yet managed to evoke the affect of early Beethoven to the hilt.
The lesser-known Sonata, Op. 22, harks back to both a more “Galante” musical style and a lighter piano. Ohlsson’s performance acknowledged this by his harplike playing of cascades of notes. His passagework was featherly light in both hands; however, his marked bass chord interjections reminded us that we were, indeed, listening to a modern piano. He captured both the charm and rustic nature of this sonata very well. His boisterous playing of the Trio in the third movement Minuet hinted at Beethoven’s brusque scherzos to come. His playing of the second movement Adagio, however, was the highlight of this sonata. He spun out the Chopinesque melody exquisitely against a subdued accompaniment in the bass, like an orchestral tone poem.
If Mr. Ohlsson exhibited restraint during the Beethoven half of his program, he pulled out all the stops during the Scriabin second half. His playing was, by turns, rhapsodic, elegant, sensuous and thunderous, reflecting the trajectory of Scriabin’s artistic evolution. Ohlsson has immersed himself in Scriabin’s unique oeuvre, in preparation for a recital tour starting in San Francisco and San Diego next spring. He explained that Scriabin’s early compositions emulated Chopin (whose music he slept with under his pillow), but his harmonic language became progressively elusive, flirting with the breakdown of tonality. Ohlsson also touched on Scriabin’s intriguing personal life — his mysticism, theosophy, alleged synaesthesia, even his apocalyptic last work (“Mysterium”) with a cast of thousands.
One of the highlights of the second half was the two-movement Sonata-Fantasy No. 2, Op. 19. It yielded some of Ohlsson’s most poetic playing of the night. He evoked a dreamy quality in the “Andante” first movement through his lush timbres and prolonged cadences. That same lushness and delicious sense of “rubato” shone through the languid “Desir” — a mini-tone poem. The Etude Op. 65, No. 1, comprised of fast gliding ninth intervals, is fiendishly difficult, but in Mr. Ohlsson’s large hands, was handled with aplomb. He brought the Scriabin set to a resounding climax with the orchestral chords of “Vers la flamme.”
And after a resounding ovation, Garrick Ohlsson returned to the stage to toss off three signature Chopin encores – one waltz and two etudes from Op. 10. Even Scriabin would have been envious!
