An Evening of Chamber Music

German cellist Kleinknecht (left) and Japanese pianist Hayashi (right) at the Goethe, Bangkok

Goethe Institut Auditorium. Bangkok, Thailand. November 28, 2011. Another pleasant, if undistinguished, evening of varied chamber music, at the Goethe Institut, featured German cellist Friedrich Kleinknecht and Japanese pianist Sumiko Hayashi. One benefit of small venues like this, is that artists sometimes feel free to let their inner imaginations roam into interpretations of well-known classics that would never get onto CDs or be received well in major concert halls. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Hayashi’s playing of a Schubert Impromptu and four Moments Musicaux, were marked by what would have been extreme rubato even for Chopin, and accented and pronounced bass that was anything but classical. Having grown up on Gillels’ and others’ playing of these popular works, I was surprised that I actually liked the way Hayashi departed from accepted classical tradition, but I can’t say I would welcome a repeat performance. Cellist Kleinknecht’s tone was somewhat harsh, but his Beethoven and Schubert were pleasant to listen to. It was notable that Hayashi, when she partnered with Kleinknecht, reverted to more normal standards of interpretation and provided beautiful accompaniment. The evening ended with a wind quartet performance of a Rossini quartet, by the local Sawasdee Woodwind Quartet of Bangkok.