Tuesday 26 July 2016

Festival of the Sound 2016 # 5: A Day With Lots of Strings

Friday, July 22, the Festival had just 2 concerts, but they represented a fascinating diversity of things that can be done with a tightly-stretched string, whether synthetic, gut or metal.

In the afternoon, classical guitarist Daniel Bolshoy led a programme called "Music for Guitar and Friends".  He began with Leslie Fagan in the Canciones Populares Españolas by Manuel de Falla, a favourite of the Spanish repertoire for singers.  Bolshoy's nimble fingers made light of the accompaniments, while Fagan displayed all her usual versatility of voice -- particularly capturing the throaty sound of a traditional flamenco singer.

Next came Un sueño en la floresta for solo guitar, by Agustin Barrios and then a quintet for guitar and strings by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, with the Penderecki String Quartet.  Both were pleasant but unremarkable pieces.

The concert wound up with a favourite of mine, the Fandango from a Guitar Quintet by Luigi Boccherini.  According to Bolshoy, Boccherini hated the guitar and this kind of traditional Spanish music, but you'd never know it to listen to this piece!  It's a simple enough formula, but in Boccherini's hands it evolves into a 7-minute moto perpetuo in which each of the instruments has a turn at spinning out its own complicated solo parts, somewhat like jazz improvisations.  As the music builds and builds, the techniques get more varied -- with players using the pizzicato (plucking strings), the spiccato (bouncing the bow on the string), and col legno (using the wood of the bow).  I could have sworn I also heard one or two instrument bodies being lightly slapped as well but it was hard to keep track with so much happening.  About the only thing missing was a pair of castanets (and I actually have a recording which includes those too)!  The piece built up to a rousing conclusion, and drew a big round of applause from the audience.

In the evening, Stewart Goodyear returned for a recital of four favourite Beethoven sonatas.  No funny business with the strings here, of course, but what an evening of piano greatness!  The concert opened with the Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31 ("Tempest"), followed by the Sonata No. 8 in C Minor ("Pathetique").  After the intermission we heard the Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ("Moonlight"), and the Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 ("Appassionata").  Note in passing that none of these nicknames were applied by Beethoven, although he did approve of his publisher's wish to apply "Pathetique" to No, 8.  In fact, Beethoven's own title for No, 14 was "Sonata quasi una fantasia", which is a much better name to convey the structural experiment which he undertook in this truly unusual sonata -- and in its opus partner in E flat major, which has the same title.

Goodyear became famous several years ago for playing the entire cycle of 32 sonatas in a single day, a performance repeated in a number of cities.  Even listening to this relatively brief cycle of four made it quite clear that his playing is remarkable for its precision, purity, and musicality.  One of the greatest contributors to the clarity of Goodyear's performances is his restraint in the use of the sustain pedal.  When he does use it, it's done with point and purpose.

A few highlight moments:  the alternating slow and fast sections in the opening movement of the Tempest were held together, paradoxically, by longer but more intentional pauses than usual.  The slow movement of the Pathetique came across as pure musical poetry, a delight when some pianists are apt to treat it as just something to get through before the next round of fireworks.

The first movement of the Moonlight flowed at a smooth, easy speed, perhaps faster than some, but with a clear sense of direction and motion.  The contrasting second movement developed a playful tone, like a little miniature game before the serious business of the volcanic finale.

Speaking of "volcanic", there are few works in piano literature as volcanic in temper as the Appassionata, and it needs that kind of weight -- it mustn't become just virtuoso fireworks.  I've always felt that it has a certain catastrophic quality about it, and the best performances -- like Goodyear's -- capture that sense of drama almost to the point of disaster.  That quality was highlighted when Goodyear chose the first movement as the place to ramp up the use of the sustain pedal.  His slow movement variations were given at a flowing tempo, and the suspended cadence leading into the finale struck like the crack of doom.  As for the roaring waves of the immense final movement, they definitely roared but with utmost clarity.  Here above all was where I could sense the incredible control he has over this challenging music.

This recital alone would have been enough to make anyone feel that the time spent getting to Parry Sound was time very well spent.

If I could have two wish list items, this is what I would ask for.  Please, could the finale of the Moonlight be played just a bit slower?  It doesn't need to be a huge difference, and the gain in clarity can be immense -- as I have heard myself a few years ago.  I've often thought that some of Beethoven's piano tempi were deliberately marked at an unrealistically high level just to deter any pianists who might think they were good enough to tackle his music!

The other: please, please, pulleeze could we have some other sonatas, not just these four old warhorses over and over again?  Parry Sound has a knowledgeable and sophisticated audience, and they aren't afraid of being asked to listen to less familiar works.  For me, these four -- and the Moonlight most of all -- have long since worn out their welcome since I've heard them all played sooooo many times.

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