Friday January 12, 2007 SGN.org |
 |
Volume 35 Issue 02 |
 |
|
Monday, Oct 13, 2008
|
 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||
|
Markus Groh makes the most out of a new Steinway |
||
.jpg) |
||
| Markus Groh makes the most out of a new Steinway | ||
|
by Rod Parke -
SGN A&E Writer Markus Groh is a handsome pianist - tall and slender, about 30, long auburn hair pulled straight back into a long ponytail - and his playing was handsome indeed. His manner in walking across the stage was stiff and timid; he almost never smiled. Yet, when he sat at the piano, lovely poetry flowed from his graceful hands. Contrary to Sunday's Times, this Meany Theater recital was not his Seattle debut, having played Beethoven's 'Emperor' concerto with Seattle Symphony. But he did show some debut nerves in that his opening pieces lacked the grace that characterized the second half of his program. The unfinished Mozart 'Fantasy in D Minor, K. 397' is such a brilliant piece, and Groh showed us each amazing part; but he has yet to pull it together. Its parts seemed unconnected, with too much contrast between loud and soft and little in between. The Brahms that followed suffered similarly, even though there was much admire. He played 'Seven Fantasies, Op. 116' and 'Hungarian Dances Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.' The rhythms of the Dances were spot on, so much so that their sometimes sensual, suggestive swagger was almost embarrassing, given the super-serious and restrained stage presence of the performer. I so wished he could appear more comfortable in his bows. (Shades of Evgeny Kissin, who could not wait, when he appeared at Meany, to get seated at the piano, where he was not only comfortable but exalted.) After intermission, the young pianist settled down to give us some of the most beautiful piano playing I have ever heard. The new Steinway proved a fine instrument for Groh's gossamer touch and powerful dynamics. Liszt's 'Annees de Pelerinage, Book II, "Italie"' under Groh's hands glistened with an endless palette of colors. The warmth of sound and expression made me feel like we were in a family parlor in front of a glowing fireplace. In the earlier pieces Groh had shown his respect for the music, but here it was his love that flooded the room. In the Liszt the dynamics were integrated into a whole, with crescendos that built seamlessly from very soft to powerful mountains of sound. Groh's clarity of thought came through in the transparency of even the loud passages that allowed internal details to speak with ease in the midst of so much sound. At times he showed a Horowitz-like ability to work with multiple dynamic levels simultaneously. Likewise with different qualities of sound layered upon each other. His two (unannounced) encores were a Brahms 'Intermezzo' and Scriabin's 'Prelude in D-sharp Minor.' They were gems. Markus Groh lacks nothing in technique, and his poetic soul makes him a special artist to watch as his career develops. Reviewer Rod Parke can be reached at rmp62@columbia.edu. |
||
.jpg) |
||
 |
||
International Readers read the SGN in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 post your own information on Seattle Gay Blog |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2006