Other than the opening work and a couple of encores, the music represented the very heart of the romantic repertoire. Big lush chords and sonorities were offset by delicate, poetic interludes. Whatever the demands of the music, the 23-year-old Mr. Lang displayed a formidable technique, incorporating sensitivity with deft articulation and the capability of literally making the piano change its sound from one work to the next.
He began with the Piano Sonata No. 10, K. 330 of Mozart. This is one of the works by this composer that is frequently referred to as “too easy for a child, too difficult for an adult”. Clarity and delicacy were everywhere in the first two movements while the third movement Allegro featured spirited and rollicking music-making.
Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 is one of the more difficult works in the piano solo catalog, but you’d never know that from watching Mr. Lang’s performance. It was ravishing Chopin, from the maestoso exhibited in the opening movement, the perpetual motion of the scherzo through the dreamy poeticism of the largo to the great crashing chords and scales of the finale- a true presto. In this latter movement, Mr. Lang virtually attacked the Steinway, but never lost the clarity of his playing in the process.
The Kinderszenen of Robert Schumann, his Opus 15 or Scenes from Childhood consists of 13 vignettes encompassing a variety of activities, emotions and settings. Ranging from playful to dreamy, martial to cajoling, happy to scared and sleepy, they vividly describe a child’s life. One didn’t need a program to discern which was which, due to the skillful playing of Mr. Lang.
The Russian virtuoso composer/pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote enormously difficult pieces in order to demonstrate his own capability at the keyboard. Never was this more evident than in his Two Preludes, Op. 23: No. 2 in B-flat Major and No. 5 in G Minor. They abound in torrents of notes, energy and emotion, all of which was mere child’s play to the soloist.
The formal portion of the program was brought to a stunning conclusion by two pieces from another formidable composer/pianist—Franz Lizst. In Petrarch: Sonnet No. 104, Mr. Lang appeared to be more relaxed, as though he was enjoying the performance, having fun with it. His musical standards were not lowered, however. The final work Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in D minor in a transcription by Horowitz really rattled the rafters of Severance Hall. The composer’s imagery and rhythmic patterns clearly created strong visual images of the whirling costumed dancers in a czardas. This was the knuckle-buster to end all knuckle-busters, and brought the good-sized audience immediately to its feet, to honor the young pianist. He, in turn, graciously acknowledged the piano, which certainly produced heroic quantities of notes throughout the evening.
Mr. Lang then performed three encores: the first two were of Chinese origins: Moonlight Reflection in the Lake and Spring (with a tango flavor) according to the pianist. It was a rather exciting, tumultuous spring, complete with birds singing and squabbling, thunder- or windstorms and a tango or two. In keeping with the ‘Spring’ theme, the final encore was a briskly performed Flight of the Bumblebee.
This performance was a benefit for the Cleveland Advertising Association (CAA), produced by SRO Entertainment. Proceeds of this event allowed scholarships to be awarded to four senior high school students in Cleveland Public Schools who will pursue the creative arts at college level beginning in fall, 2006. Winners were announced from the stage prior to the recital. They are: Timika Hammond and Yasmine Lawler, Cleveland School of the Arts; Diondra Heard, Glenville Academic Campus, School of Fine Arts; and Jenova Hill, Collinwood High School.
SRO Entertainment’s next event will feature violinist Itzhak Perlman in recital with pianist Rohan DeSilva on Monday, May 8 at Severance Hall. This is a benefit for Bridgeway and Cleveland Christian Home. For information or tickets, call SRO Entertainment (http://www.SROEntertainment.biz) at 216-227-8857, or Severance Hall (http://www.severancehall.com) at 216-231-1111.
From Cool Clevleand contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net (:divend:)