Three Piano Recitalists in Two Evenings

Goethe Institut Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand. September 29 and 30, 2011. The Goethe Institut holds an annual Beethoven competition for young pianists, and in alternate years, for young string players. It assembles an excellent jury, who give nightly recitals during the competition, which, in the words of Goethe’s director, Dr. Norbert Spitz, are designed to show the young pianist-competitors that the jury members know what they’re doing. And, indeed, show them they did! (Photo left: Prof. Glemser).

Prof. Wolfgang Glemser from Germany, charted dangerous territory by performing an all-Liszt program. Let’s face it, some of Liszt is simply dreadful, either tedious in the extreme, or filled with bombast bordering on noise. A whole evening of it can be trying for the listener. But, some of Liszt is beautiful, profound, creative and transcendent. Glemser, to his credit, was looking for soul and he mostly found it. His tone on the mediocre Bosendorfer at the Institut, was the most beautiful I remember hearing from this instrument. Glemser’s playing was both introspective and exciting. His technique, while not colossal, was more than adequate for the fiendishly difficult Liszt he selected, which means that it was very, very good indeed. I spoke with Prof. Glemser the following evening, and during our conversation, he made clear to me that what I heard was what he intended, that is, beautiful music focused on tone, rather than an acrobatic exercise at the piano. In short, one of the very best recitals I’ve attended at the Goethe.

Prof. Woohyung Yang of South Korea performed the first half of the recital program the following evening, September 30. This attractive pianist has mastered the art of playing the piano, is proficient at what she plays, but, alas, she has no musical personality. Playing the six well-known Schubert Moments Musicaux Opus 94, it was unclear that Yang understood that each movement has a different character and that it is the job of the performer to have some conception of what they represent. In Yang’s hands, all of the movements sounded the same and very bland. Not that they were badly played; they were simply boring. Her Chopin Fantasia, which I like a lot, was similarly unexciting and dull, as if played by a mechanic. (Photo above: Prof. Arens (right) and Prof. Yang (middle)).

I have heard Prof. Rolg-Dieter Arens from Germany, play twice before in Thailand, and I know him to be a magnificent pianist. Yet, I was somewhat disappointed in his playing this year. He began with the Bach French Suite in G, which I know well, and gave a very excellent account of it, with the right attention to the dance character of each movement, and the clean lines that good Bach performance requires. Arens followed the Bach with a Liszt transcription of an obscure Bach prelude and fugue, which was interminable. With all the wonderful Liszt Bach transcriptions available, I question why Arens felt compelled to play this one, for which he uncharacteristically needed the score in front of him to get through the performance. The three short Liszt works which followed were marvelously played, but I missed Glemser’s gorgeous and luxuriant playing of the night before.