CanadaBach, Mendelssohn and Beethoven: Nelson Goerner (piano), Magee Theatre, Vancouver, 13.3.2015 (GN)
Bach: Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830
Mendelssohn: Fantasy in F-sharp minor, Op. 28
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106, ‘Hammerklavier’
Paderewski: Nocturne in B-flat major, Op. 16, no. 4 (encore)
Blumenfeld: ‘Etude for the Left Hand’, Op. 36 (encore)
Nelson Goerner is an artist very much in the spotlight, and for good reason: he is a remarkably elegant pianist who combines classical discipline and poise with a natural romantic sensibility. His tonal control, transparency and colour have all been justly noted, as has his virtuosity. This month, the pianist’s new Schumann disc was honoured as ‘Record of the Month’ by BBC Music Magazine, while earlier recordings, including his EMI debut Chopin disc, have received the strongest praise from Gramophone and elsewhere. His appearances a few years ago with fellow Argentinian Martha Argerich – at the Edinburgh and Verbier festivals – might be regarded as a meeting of like minds. In this concert we saw other sides of his inspiration – in Bach, Mendelssohn and Beethoven’s ‘Hammerklavier’ sonata.
Goerner’s approach to Bach’s Partita No. 6 was distinguished by strikingly clean articulation; he made sure that dance rhythms were crisply pointed. At the same time, his gentle rubato and sprung rhythms produced a lovely flow and suspension of the lyrical line, almost suggesting improvisation. I found this engaging: the interpretation as a whole had both balance and imaginative variety. While I do not necessarily think of Bach’s keyboard works as having a narrative theme, there was certainly some of that present, the pianist often mixing objective strength with searching shadings to give the eight pieces enriching purpose. Emotional postures seemed to vary considerably: sometimes joy and delight came forth, at other times a sense of wonder and, later on, perhaps a hint of sadness. This was quite fixating: my mind did not wander for a second.
Mendelssohn’s Fantasy, Op. 28 has never particularly captivated me but I enjoyed this as well. All the elegant sparkle that this composer requires was present and, while Goerner may have invested a little too much care in its quieter episodes, the closing Presto was simply dazzling. I do not usually respond to virtuosity as such, but the sheer quickness, the evenness of the gleaming full keyboard runs and the sharpness of the dynamic contrasts were really something to behold.
On to the mighty ‘Hammerklavier’, which I also found to be an enriching experience. Goerner allowed the opening declamatory statement to be an anchor for the first movement’s evolution, delivering the motif with very strong rhythmic push every time it came back, and opening up space for the movement’s lyricism to expand in between. Played at a sensible speed, the complex lines were meshed with clarity and phrases arched with point and feeling, which gave a fine sense of architecture. I noticed too how some typically-garbled descending runs emerged so clearly: every note that might have been submerged was given extra point to ensure that it registered.
The Scherzo was light, airy and cunningly directed, the hammer blows in the middle given their full due. The great Adagio was perhaps not as distilled or slow as some, but it progressed artfully, like a winding river that twists onwards forever. Goerner gave each phase of its development a slightly different demeanor, injecting a gentle rubato here, a warmer and more rounded projection there, moving then to a more direct utterance, and so on. Yet he always managed to sustain an underlying pulse, and he had full command over the telling small detail. Quite masterly: the performance added up to a rich tapestry of feeling with no break in concentration or continuity.
The complex finale is perhaps an even greater challenge. Goerner made light of its technical demands, proceeding with an assured chiseled elegance and always maintaining an emotional involvement. I was taken with the ‘life’ in the playing (his remarkable trills included), its sense of line and the natural ease with which the chorale interlude later on was negotiated within the overall flow. The ending was as powerful and grand as one could wish, with a full sense of emotional resolution and finality. I have seldom seen an audience applaud quite so spontaneously and with so much heart.
It is a testimony to the physical stamina of today’s pianists that they actually perform encores after the ‘Hammerklavier’. And potentially challenging ones too: a Paderewski Nocturne and Blumenfeld’s “Etude for the Left Hand’. Goerner’s virtuoso zeal in the latter showed a quite different side of the artist.
Geoffrey Newman
Previously published in a slightly modified form on http://www.vanclassicalmusic.com
Hello Mr. Geoffrey Newman,
Thank you for this review which was forwarded to me.
It made me relive the concert, in a much more sophisticated way!
Ruth Tubbesing