Anticipation and Disappointment

I knew the name of the pianist, Frederic Chiu, and I knew he would be playing Chopin.  This was enough for me to be rather excited about the performance.  I did not remember ever having heard him before and I did not do any anticipatory research, preferring, generally, to go into the concert with fresh ears.  Therefore I could not, at first, pinpoint why I felt a tinge of disappointment when Mr. Chiu walked into the hall at the beginning of the performance.  "Oh him" some part of my mind said, although I had no recollection as to why that thought had popped into the active part of my mind.  I quickly squelched any misgivings.

The opening piece, the Sonata in E Major, Opus 6, by Felix Mendelssohn  was lovely and I had no major complaints with it or with the second piece by Mendelssohn.  However, when we got to the Chopin etudes Opus 25, the Chopin that I had been anticipating for weeks, my attitude cooled even though parts of the performance were breathtaking. Mr. Chiu is a fabulous pianist with fabulous skill and technique and who I would say plays in a rather dramatic, romantic and Lisztian mode.  In the opening etude, the #1, the arpeggios began beautifully, building power and emotion only to become muddied to my ear from overpedalling, and perhaps a little overstated in the emotion, almost bombastic.   This was followed by the #10 and the #11, which were breathtaking.  The dizzying speed and clarity of the playing was just phenomenal and I was truly transported by this second piece, in which Mr. Chiu seemed to capture chilling clarity with tremendously sweeping emotion.  The #4 was also stunning, again played with light-fingered clarity.  Then he lost me completely with the #3 and the #12.  

As we broke for the intermission I was contemplating these etudes, how I could admire the technique and style while still be unhappy with the performance?  I decided that I like a little more nuance in Chopin.  I think Chiu is occasionally too loud where I prefer a lighter, rippling delicacy which shimmers like light on the surface of the water, hinting at but not revealing all the depths beneath.  There is little nuance.  I think in the grand gestures of his playing, Chiu rolls right over the little inconsistencies in rhythm that bring such poignancy to Chopin. It is the little bumps and glitches in Chopin that bring new depth, at least to my ears, and the blinding arpeggios of Frederic Chiu seem to just crush them.

Perhaps I am mistaken.  I have played very little Chopin and not for many many years.  I have never studied music.  I could never, in my wildest dreams play as well as Frederic Chiu. These are just my thoughts on my own preferances.  

It was in the second half of the program that I realized where I had heard the artist before.  He played at Bard during the Liszt Festival.  I was not entranced then either. I recall thinking he was by far technically the best pianist we heard that afternoon, but he was not the one I enjoyed listening to the most.  Oh well.

I think Liszt suits Chiu's fiery, almost over the top virtuosity better than Chopin.  It is too bad I am not particularly a fan of Liszt, something I had not realized until that in-depth study of Liszt up at Bard a couple of summers ago.  Chiu playing a Liszt transcription of Wagner seemed like the perfect pairing of pianist and music.  Unfortunately I am not particularly a fan of Wagner either. It was beautiful. I was stunned by the performance, but it was an appreciate born of the mind, not of the heart.

When, in my development, did I switch my loyalties to thoughtful quiet subtlety?  I think in my youth I loved fiery romanticism.  I really want to like Frederic Chiu.  He is fascinating in conversation.  His technique takes my breath away.  But the music he plays does not make my heart sing.

There may be one exception to that.  As an encore he performed a piece by Prokofiev that had my heart in my throat and nearly brought tears to my eyes.  In the program it was mentioned that he was scheduled to play Prokofiev at Bard in 2010.  That may be a concert worth seeking out.