SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Schubert: 4 Impromptus D. 899
Bach: English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808
Lasser: Twelve Variations on a Chorale by J. S. Bach
Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G Major, BWV 816

As the Istanbul Recitals’ highly successful 2009-2010 season came to a close, the final pianist on the bill, Simone Dinnerstein featured a program heavy on Bach.

The Schubert impromptus which appeared to be the odd one in the lot served as the groundwork for what was to follow. The first Op. 90 impromptu in C Minor, as simple as it is, bears a lot of musical ideas. It is both an orchestral march that gets denser as it progresses, but at the same time, it is a simple and unadorned song. From the orchestral perspective it is the inner voices that matter. Ms. Dinnerstein began to show her competence early on in the piece as she took a [not overly] sterile approach that enabled each voice to be prominently heard. The simple accompaniments, as they turned to triplets first and semiquavers later, were kept finely tuned and thus, the main song-like melody remained highly articulated. The second piece, the E-Flat major impromptu was performed with a high level of finger deftness in the chromatic melody that kept its lyrical tone throughout the modal changes into minor. Simone Dinnerstein’s lovely G-Flat major impromptu reminded me of Horowitz’s low key rendition in which the triad accompaniment and the dreamy melody lines are played rubato -anticipating Chopin. I am not entirely sure if that was Schubert’s intention but in my opinion it works brilliantly. The final impromptu in the series is quintessential Schubert with short and direct-to-the-point melodies interrupted by momentary pauses. Ms. Dinnerstein’s pauses, in that respect were a little maladroit at places. As a consequence, the underlying graceful dance character in the piece’s outer sections was not emphasized enough.

Bach’s G-Minor English suite was next. Right from the opening melody shortly joined by the figured bass which then takes its place next to the right hand in both mimicking and expanding it, Simone Dinnerstein proved to be a mighty Bach pianist. All the voices were given equal shares in the spectrum, and ornamentations were kept to a tasteful low. This wasn’t Nikolayeva or Hewitt’s overly antiseptic Bach, however. Ms. Dinnerstein showcased many elegant trills and mordents of her own. After a quiet and graceful Allemande, the pianist performed a forward leaning Courante that was almost over too quickly. Her Sarabande was solemn, but not particularly dark. The popular Gavotte was definitely the highlight of her performance of the suite. She played the music so sternly and staccato, and with so many handsome embellishments that I found myself wishing she would continue to play it in the same way in its second coming following the interlude. Alas, she took the classical approach and played it straightforward in its second emergence, as is customary. Ms. Dinnerstein put the finishing touches of a beautiful performance with a Gigue that she kept restless all the way through. She replicated the forward momentum of the Courante from earlier to bring the piece, and the half, to a glorious finish.

Philip Lasser’s Twelve Variations on J. S. Bach’s chorale from Cantata 101, written in 2002 was a complete unknown for me. The ominous melody of the Chorale is dissected very gradually until it is brought to us in Variation 11 in a completely unrecognizable format. The movements vary in temperament, often going back and forth between slow and fast variants. Ms. Dinnerstein, although she placed the sheet for reference seemed to know the music by heart. The ones that stood out were the 5^th, in which we find Lasser experimenting with jazz chords and rhythms, the 7^th and 9^th variations which are reminiscent of Rachmaninov preludes and of course, the 11^th which is a variation of all the variations thus far.

Slowly but surely, Lasser had pulled us away from Bach’s musical gamut. Then again, Ms. Dinnerstein’s opening notes of the 5^th French suite brought us right back. The air of the suite is relaxed and calm despite the lack of a prelude and the fact that we are immediately thrown into a fast Allemande. The pianist showed a good sense of rhythm in both the opening movement and the nervous Courante. Her pursuing Sarabande was light, tender and salubrious. The music has plenty of space for spontaneity, but Ms. Dinnerstein opted to keep it simple and incisive. In the popular Gavotte and the jolly Bouree, the performer worked her fingers as if it was the Italian Concerto under her hands. Her sound was brusque but opulent. In the final movement Bach uses three continuous voices that fight all the way for dominance. Simone Dinnerstein conducted them as if they were three perfectly synchronized watches in a heist.

Ms. Dinnerstein’s only encore was the delightful Von Fremden Landern und Menschen from Schumann’s Kinderszenen. Of Foreign Lands and Peoples, we were –but only until we were introduced by way of her exquisite and solicitous performance.

Alain Matalon