An Intergenerational Concert

One of my most treasured recordings is the DG album by Dang Thai Son, released after his winning the 10^thInternational Chopin Competition in Warsaw. That recorded performance shows an artist who is not concerned with the pyrotechnics of piano playing, or doing something different just for the sake of being different, but rather takes pain to bring out the beauty and essence of the music at its purest.

 

Those early impressions of this artist did not change upon hearing his performance last Sunday. But more about that later. Mr. Dang has also been actively involved with teaching, and at Sunday’s concert, he very graciously shared the stage with three young pianists he has been mentoring. Having two generations of artist in the same concert, not to mention three very different young musicians, made for very interesting comparison.

 

J. J. Jun Li Bui opened the recital with two contrasting works by Ravel – Pavane pour une infante défunte and the solo piano version of La Valse. Mr. Bui has matured a great deal as a musician since his appearance at the 18^thInternational Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and his playing showed an identification with the style as well as a stunning pianism. I would perhaps wish for greater splashes of colours in La Valse, but this was certainly an impressive performance by someone so young. I also liked his pacing of the tricky Pavane.

 

No less impressive was Sophia Liu’s performance of Chopin’s Variations on “Là ci darem la mano”, Op. 2, the work that caught the eyes and ears of Robert Schumann, who wrote the now famous line, “Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!”. Sunday’s performance certainly showcased the almost unlimited technical ability of this 16-year-old pianist, as well as an amazing command of piano sonorities. In time, she will perhaps add a greater dose of impishness, even cheekiness, in this lighthearted early work by Chopin, no doubt tailored to the young composer’s own pianistic abilities. Ms. Liu has already been snapped up by one of the world’s top artist management agencies, and the sky really is the limit for this young musician.

 

It took some courage for Kai-Min Chang to program Brahms’ very introspective, intimate, and exceedingly difficult Vier Klavierstücke, Op. 119. No doubt Mr. Chang is a talented pianist and serious artist, and the performance was technically impregnable, but somehow Sunday’s performance was slightly wanting in a richness of sound and a flexibility that the pieces call for, especially in the many subtle tempo shifts. I have to confess that this was not how I hear this music. I would very much like to hear this young musician again in other repertoire, to have a more thorough picture of his musical abilities. 

 

Dang Thai Son finally took to the stage after intermission in a recital of works by Chopin. Some of the works Mr. Dang programmed – the two early Nocturnes as well as a selection of Waltzes – are within the technical reach of an average student, one may say.  But what he did with these supposedly “easy” pieces was what separates the artist from the student. Every piece was played with taste, with style, as well as a brimming musicality that betrayed the work of a master pianist and musician. 

 

In 1980 Warsaw, Mr. Dang’s performance of the Barcarolle was the highlight of the competition, and his performance last Sunday was for me the highlight of that afternoon. It was playing that showed a complete identification of the style of this music, and every note filled with meaning. Even the transitional passages had a logic and beauty, as well as fitting into the larger scheme of the composition. On top of all that, it was a performance that truly moved. The final work of the afternoon, the Scherzo in B-flat minor, Op. 31, was also given a performance that was charged with meaning, and the many silences were filled with palpable tension. 

 

Of course there was a well-deserved ovation for Mr. Dang, and of course he graciously granted us an encore – Debussy’s Rêverie. He has always been a wonderful interpreter of French music, and this was playing that exhibited a stunning range of sonorities, even within a relatively narrow dynamic range, as well as one that was overflowing with palpable beauty. 

 

Dang Thai Son brought back to the stage the three young artists, who joined him in a romp through Albert Lavignac’s Galop-marche. It was quite a sight to see four artists sharing the 88 keys of the piano, sitting on three piano benches, and obviously having a ball. I am certain the enjoyment and pleasure felt by the audience matched that of the artists. 

 

It is truly a mark of a great teacher not only to impart knowledge and share his experience, but also to give worthy students the opportunity to shine. Not many teachers would be willing to share the spotlight with students, and that is perhaps what makes Mr. Dang such a beloved teacher and mentor, from every young pianist I have spoken with. It was truly touching to see the obvious rapport between Dang Thai Son and the young artists. 

 

Each of the three young artists who performed last Sunday has their individual strengths. It would be fascinating to watch the progress of these young performers, as well as the musical paths they will take. I wish them Godspeed in their musical journeys, and that they will have the courage to take the “road less travelled”.

 

 

 

 

Dang Thai Son in Vancouver

It had been many years since Dang Thai-Son performed in Vancouver, and so there was a keen sense of anticipation before he walked onto the stage of the Playhouse last Sunday.

 

Looking every bit like the seasoned artist that he is, very different from the photograph that graced the cover of his debut album some 43 years ago, Dang began his performance with Faure’s Nocturne in E-flat minor, Op. 33, No. 1 and Barcarolle No. 1 in A minor, Op. 26. Right from the first notes, he caught my ears with the depth and beauty of his sound, as well as the beautiful flow of the music. In both works, but especially in the Nocturne, still so heavily indebted to Chopin, but with Faure’s own unique harmonic progressions, every note from Dang’s hands seemed to project like an arrow straight to the last row of the auditorium. 

 

In the Arabesques by Debussy, pieces that are technically within reach of many competent pianists, Dang showed his mastery by the colours he evoked from the beautiful Steinway piano, as well as his impeccable sense of timing. His affinity for the music of Debussy continued to show in his interpretation of both books of Images. In these masterpieces, the composer takes us into the world of the Orient, not in the cheap stereotypical picture postcard version promulgated by Hollywood, but into the true aesthetics of the art of the Orient. Pianist Fou Ts’ong once commented that Debussy’s soul as an artist is that of the Orient. Dang struck a perfect balance between the mixing of the colours, so much like a Chinese ink painting, and maintaining an absolute clarity of texture. In Mouvement, Debussy’s study in line, Dang played this music with a bracing and stunning virtuosity. As well, he presented the most vivid and colourful Poisson d’Or I can remember. In Hommage a Rameau, he brought to the music an eerie stillness, and a feeling of bleakness and desolation. 

 

After the intermission, Dang gave us an exploration of the many dance forms used by Chopin as vehicles for his creativity. The Polonaise in C minor, Op. 40, No. 2 was played with great feeling as well as a palpable depth of sound. Dang evoked a sound from the lower register of the piano was nothing less than astounding. In his very stylish playing of the Three Ecossaises, Op. 72, No. 3, he highlighted the charm, the brimming high spirits as well as the youthfulness conveyed in this music. Dang went on to give characterful readings of three of the composer’s waltzes. The Waltz in A minor, Op. posth., was played with such profound feeling that it elevated this relatively simple work, so often relegated to young students as an “easy” Chopin piece, into a miniature tragic tone poem. The Waltz in F minor, Op. 70, No. 2 as well as the Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 34, No. 1, were given readings that were stylistically impeccable, reminding the listener that these miniature masterpieces are really dances of the soul.

 

The performance continued with a delightful romp through Chopin’s rarely-played Tarantelle in A-flat Major, Op. 43, which makes one wonder why not more pianists would incorporate this work into their active repertoire. The set of four Mazurkas, Op. 24, demonstrated Dang’s absolute identification with these elusive miniatures, compositions representing the composer at his most profound and original. He invested into each of these pieces, none lasting more than a few minutes long, with great profundity and depth of feeling, as well as an acute stylistic awareness. The great Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53, played to the manner born, rightly brought the audience to its feet. 

 

After the thrilling performance of the Polonaise, and at the behest of the enthusiastic audience, the artist graciously granted us an encore – Bach/Busoni’s great Adagio, from Busoni’s transcription of Bach’s Toccata in C Major. Dang’s performance of this great work served as a fitting close to this very special afternoon, almost as a form of a benediction. I felt that everyone in the audience knew that they were sharing something very rare and special.

 

In his playing of Chopin, Dang Thai Son reminded me so much of Arthur Rubinstein – and I can think of no higher compliment. There was the same lack of affectation, the same simplicity, the same directness in his music making that makes the interpreter a perfect conduit between composer and listener, and the results are both disarming and moving. It is playing that strives to move, not just to impress, for me the highest form of music making.

 

I am grateful that Vancouver had the opportunity to experience the artistry and musicality of this sovereign artist, at the heights of his maturity. One could only hope for many more opportunities for him to share his art with us in the very nearest future.