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Anderszewski Triumphs in Philadelphia Philadelphia
Perelman Theater
02/18/2008 -
Johann Sebastian Bach: Partitas in C Minor, BWV 826 and B-flat Major, BWV 825
Schumann: Humoresque, op. 20
Szymanowski: Masques, op. 34
Piotr Anderszewski (piano)
Philadelphia audiences are notoriously prone to cough and fidget. Total silence pervaded the Perelman Theater as Piotr Anderszewski began his recital sponsored by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Everyone in the audience concentrated intently on the pianist's remarkable playing. Last season, Anderszewski performed for the first time with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Monday's performance marked the Polish pianist's Philadelphia recital debut. Two Partitas by Johann Sebastian Bach provided the bookends for his recital at the Kimmel Center. In between came music by Robert Schumann and Karol Szymanowski.
Piano fans knew Anderszewski’s playing from his recordings as well as from the DVD that documents his stunning interpretation of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Would he be able to duplicate those performances in a live recital? The Polish pianist answered that question decisively as soon as he launched the C minor Partita. Anderszewski engraved the opening measures of the Sinfonia like an orator delivering a weighty proclamation, Then, when Bach’s music switched from the Grave Adagio to Andante, he lightened his tone and dashed through the rapid figurations with rippling ease. Anderszewski made his Steinway dance as he worked his way through the movements in Bach’s buoyant suite. He reveled in the bold musical contrasts and found an array of colors that underlined every shift of mood. In the slow Sarabande, Anderszewski graded his tone with infinite care as he caressed Bach's music with a delicate touch.
Anderszewski proved to be a rather reticent figure on the stage. Dressed casually in a black turtleneck and dark coat and trousers, he shyly acknowledged the applause.
After a brief pause, the pianist turned his attention to Schumann's rarely performed Humoresque, a lengthy work filled with stark shifts of mood and character. The pianist crafted a spellbinding performance of this manic piece. Schumann's score is a musical kaleidoscope that shifts abruptly from soaring lyricism to dramatic outbursts. Anderszewski swept the music along swiftly and nervously. Pausing to savor the lyrical portions of the score, he pressed ahead vigorously in the more passionate sections.
Szymanowski's Masques gave Anderszewski the chance to display another side of his art. The three movements focus on contrasting literary figures: Scheherazade, Tristan (parodied as Tantris), and Don Juan. Anderszewski fashioned splashes of color to convey Szymanowski's unique musical idiom. He reveled in the nervous, restless flow of the music.
The pianist capped his recital with a sublime performance of Bach's Partita in B flat major. Playing with remarkable precision, he caught the rhythmic spring in Bach's music and unfolded the contrapuntal lines with a constantly modulated flow of sound. Again, the heart of his performance pulsed in the beautifully shaped slow movement. Bach's music seemed to stand still as Anderszewski fashioned a serene musical line.
As an encore, he crafted a beautifully poised interpretation of Beethoven's Bagatelles Op. 126, Nos. 1/2/3. Anderszewski’s nuanced reading caught the quiet lyrical moments as well as the more tempestuous outbursts in Beethoven’s music.
Robert Baxter
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