The Peoples’ Symphony Concerts organization launched their 114th season on Saturday night, October 12, 2013, presenting a piano recital by Lise de la Salle in the newly-renovated auditorium at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan. Miss de la Salle, who has play previously at PSC, offered a program of Bach-Busoni, Debussy, and Schumann, with two encores of Liszt elaborations of songs by Schumann and Schubert.
I first became acquainted with de la Salle’s playing through her recordings on the Naïve label, and quickly became a fan – a status confirmed the first time I heard her play at PSC. This Saturday’s program fell a bit short of that standard, I thought, although it is difficult for me to put my finger on the reason why.
She had originally designed the program to present Schumann in the first half and Bach-Busoni and Debussy in the second half, but then after the programs had been printed informed the presenters that she was flipping the order. Good idea or bad idea? It meant she opened with J.S. Bach’s Chaconne for Unaccompanied Violin, as elaborated into a virtuosic piano piece in the grand late romantic manner by Ferruccio Busoni, and that was a good opener, but I found her performance of it to be very heavy-handed. The notes were all there, but the spirit of Bach’s original seemed buried under the busy-ness of the Busoni arrangement. Of course, one could argue that this was entirely in keeping with the Busoni half of this forced partnership, but I’m not so sure. I’ve heard Busoni performances that were more fleet, more supple, than what I heard on Saturday night.
The following Debussy Preludes, a selection of six, was much better. In fact, I thought in retrospect that this was the most successful selection on the program, because the delicacy I found lacking in the Bach-Busoni was very much present here, and appropriately so for the music. I would not want to stereotype Miss de la Salle, a Frenchwoman, in terms of repertory, but this very French impressionist music seemed to play to her strengths as a colorist.
The Schumann after intermission was all well-played, I thought, but I didn’t hear any kind of really strong identification of the pianist with this music. I would describe the Schumann performances as competent, polished, but lacking that last ounce of inspiration. The playing of the two encores was excellent, and I could have enjoyed hearing more Liszt from Miss de la Salle, who excels in this composer.
A final note on the surroundings: whoever planned and executed the renovation of the auditorium did a fine job overall, but I wish there had been enough money to put even slight padding on the seats, which remain the very hard wooden seats characteristic of a high school auditorium rather than the well-upholstered seats characteristic of a modern concert hall. Perhaps they feared altering the excellent acoustics? At any rate, the acoustics survive, and at least the new seats have the merit of being more form-fitting than the old and of NOT being broken!!
Next up from PSC is a piano recital at Washington Irving by Garrick Ohlsson that should be a real stunner – Brahms Rhapsodies Op. 79, Liszt Ad Nos Fantasia, Debussy (selected) Etudes, and Chopin’s F Minor Fantasy. Hearing Ohlsson play at PSC is a real treat. I’ve heard him uptown in the big halls, but WIHS auditorium is much more intimate setting, and the price certainly is right. Tickets, if still available, can be obtained through the PSC website.