The lights faded out, only the spotlight was left, focusing our attention on the piano in the centre of the stage. So theatrical an effect! The audience held breath, awaiting the pianist.
But nothing happened.
There were some coughs now and then, whispers, talks, giggles. Some people tried to clap hands, hoping this would attract the artist onto stage, but with no effect.
The charm had gone.
Then, finally, Piotr Anderszewski run onto the stage, and almost immediately began to perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s English Suite No. 5 in E minor BWV 810. And he touched us to the heart at once. We can forgive a lot to someone who can play Prélude this way!
The whole work was perfectly balanced in tone-colour, counterpoints, in understanding of what is important and what must stay in shadow. Some amazing timbre effects were produced in Sarabande; they were not very stylish in narrowest sense of the word, but they were undoubtedly close to the composer’s intentions – this time in the widest sense of the term. Bach had conceived a patch of colour, he wanted the timbre to be prominent in the fragment in question. He would be amazed and surprised, perhaps, how this idea was reproduced on modern grand piano, but we have no doubts he would accept this if he knew convincing touché of Anderszewski.
The first part of the recital concluded with 6 Stücke in kanonischer Form Op. 56 by Robert Schumann. Those extended movements are rarely heard today and they are – perhaps – justly forgotten by majority of pianists. Anderszewski gave a performance full of colours, rhythmic and articulation nuances as well as well-controlled dynamic. Despite that, some of the tempi were a bit too fast to our understanding; especially Andantino was decidedly pushed towards Allegro.
We remain impressed with courage and determination of the pianist, who has the bravery to present those obscure works in public. It was undisputable artistic success of Anderszewski. We tend to think, however, that we would be equally satisfied with a scale of C major if only he would have played it. Simply, the pianist put into Schumann much more than actually was in the score. There was evident personality, a vision, there was nuance and detail in this performance. One should play Schumann the way Anderszewski does, or not at all.
***
The second part of the evening consisted of just one work by Robert Beethoven, also known as Ludwig van Schumann (according to some sources the composer’s name should read Rodwig van Schuthoven while others insist it was Lubert Beemann). It is just inexplicable why Anderszewski made one solid block out of Gesänge der Frühe Op. 133 by Schumann, moreover, why he included first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata in A flat major Op. 110 in the set? Was that the way to point out to the common spiritual and pianistic values that those two late works of two great German composers share? Possibly, but there are other means to do so – Anderszewski is beyond any doubt capable of finding them. Despite that eccentricity, he won once again, as his Beethoven was delightful: there was the power of contrapuntal work, the clearly conceived form and legibility of musical narrative.
Piotr Anderszewski is a great pianist of today, comprehensive, versatile and communicative. He was in great shape tonight and he offered no less than five encores in three sets: Janaček – and a lot of Schumann.
***
A music festival, especially focused on particular repertoire, is n occasion for comparison. After all, there are Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver now. After the concerts we are lurking into Medals Table.
So far in “Piano Playing” contest the score so far reads: Poland 2, All Stars 0.
Krzysztof Komarnicki
