SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Chopin - The  complete works for solo piano:  Gergely Bogányi, Palace of Arts, Budapest, 27.-28 .11.2010 (BM)

 

Gergely Bogány  - Picture courtesy of the artist's web site  www.gergelyboganyi.com

 

A friend of mine who is a veteran long-distance runner once remarked that he didn’t really think marathons were a good idea, since they involved “too much pounding”. This is an apt comment which, in a way, also applies to Gergely Bogányi’s recent marathon performance of the entire Chopin repertoire for piano solo in Budapest (just over a month after playing a mind-boggling Chopin ‘Lottery’ before a German audience this October). Too strong an emphasis on the athletic aspect of piano playing is never a good idea, either, since music making is not really supposed to be a competitive sport – never mind what often happens at piano competitions. Still, even if this was arguably not the best way to present so formidable an oeuvre, you have to hand it to this remarkable young pianist for his ability to summon the dexterity and mental prowess, not to mention the stamina required to pull his gigantic recital off without collapsing half-way through it. Was it a publicity stunt? Perhaps it was, but if so, it was a hugely successful one, and classical music can use all the publicity it can get these days.

 

Of course a publicity stunt calls for a showman, and Bogányi fit the bill perfectly, appearing on stage in a different outfit for each of the five individual daily concert segments – jeans to start with in the morning, followed by progressively darker attire before ending the day in a silver-gray suit and cream-colored scarf. He is a showman with a great deal to show for himself, though, and above all his sincerity is beyond doubt. The rapt expressions on the faces filling the Béla Bartók Hall during this weekend-long concert were reminiscent of Moscovites listening to Van Cliburn on footage from the first Tchaikovsky competition in 1958 – and that alone should be enough to take the wind out of the sails of potential detractors.

 

That and the fact that his performance was simply outstanding. The program (listed below) was put together so as to ensure that the audience would get their money’s worth no matter which slot they chose to attend. Even Chopin-lovers tend to forget how many Mazurkas he wrote, for instance, (over fifty) and it would have been out of the question to perform these in one fell swoop, although that very same approach worked brilliantly for the Etudes, unquestionably one of the great highlights of this musical event. They were executed with aplomb and flourish, being the ultimate vehicle to show off Bogányi’s breathtaking fingerwork, as well as the unbelievable lightness and ease with which he plays trills and ornaments. Some of the more heroic pieces were performed at breakneck speed (almost too fast and rushed at times, but then he had a deadline to meet!) and yet, far from simply reeling off this colossal line-up, his performance was sensitive and undeniably from the heart. The Nocturne in c sharp minor – marked lento con gran espressione – was a case in point. Further attractions included the Sonatas, in particular Chopin’s first, which is seldom performed, technically demanding and requires great elegance and articulation, the Polonaise-Fantaisie, a visionary work pointing in the direction of paths later chosen by Wagner, Liszt, and even Debussy, played with deep poetic feeling, as well as the Tarantella in A major and especially the Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise – the perfect piece for Bogányi, who turned it into sheer fireworks. Alongside the many concert warhorses, it was a joy to hear little jewels such as the Variations in E major, the Fugue in a minor (one of the only pieces not performed from memory), the Rondo in c minor or the Bolero, which are less flamboyant but definitely deserve to be heard more often in recital.

 

If nothing else, Bogányi won his audience over by virtue of the visible, almost tangible delight he takes in playing the piano. He was never bothered in the least by ‘out of place’ applause in between sets, on the contrary, and, believe it or not, he even gave encores. Was displaying his portrait alongside several likenesses of Chopin in an exhibition accompanying his recital at the Palace of Arts meant to make us wonder whether he is a reincarnation of the great master (albeit ‘only’ as a pianist)? Be that as it may, he bears a much stronger, even downright uncanny resemblance to portraits of Liszt as a young man. What’s more, he brings an utterly Lisztian virtuosity to his interpretation of Chopin’s compositions for the piano. And like his great fellow countryman, whose fame and popularity with the ladies was akin to that of a rock star in his day, Gergely Bogányi is a pianist of the concert hall, not a reticent performer inclined to withdraw to the intimacy of salons, as was Chopin – or the recording studio, often the choice of introverted artists in this day and age.

 

What can this magician of the piano be expected to pull out of his hat next? A Liszt Marathon, perhaps? Whether or not that is what he has up his sleeve, surely the perfect encore to finish off his next appearance would be Liszt’s Grand Galop. Read more about Gergely Bogányi at www.gergelyboganyi.com.

 

Bettina Mara

 

The Recital Program:

 

Saturday, November 27^th

 

10.00

Ballade in G minor, op. 23, No. 1

Ballade in F major, op. 38, No. 2

Ballade in A flat major, op. 47, No. 3

Ballade in F minor, op. 52, No. 4

--

2 Nocturnes, op. 9 (No. 1, B minor; No. 2, E flat major; No. 3, B major)

4 Mazurkas, op. 24 (No. 1, G minor; No. 2, A minor; No. 3, A flat major; No. 4, B minor)

4 Mazurkas, op. 30 (No. 1, C minor; No. 2, B minor; No. 3 D flat major; No. 4 C sharp minor)

2 Waltzes, op. 64 (No. 1 D flat major; No. 2, C sharp minor)

Polonaise in C sharp minor, op. 26, No. 1

Polonaise in A flat major, op. 53

 

12.00

Variations in E major, op. post.

2 Polonaises, op. 71 (No. 1, D minor; No. 2, B major)

2 Nocturnes, op. 37 (No. 1, G minor; No. 2, G major)

Nocturne in E minor, op. 72, No. 1

3 Mazurkas, op. 50 (No. 1, G major; No. 2, A flat major; No. 3, G sharp minor)

3 Mazurkas, op. 56 (No. 1, C sharp minor; No. 2, C major; No. 3, C minor)

Waltz in A flat major, op. 64, No. 3

Waltz in E minor, op. post.

--

12 Études, op. 10 (No. 1, C major; No. 2, A minor; No. 3, E major; No. 4, C sharp minor; No. 5, G flat major; No. 6, E flat minor; No. 7, C major; No. 8, F major; No. 9, F minor; No. 10, A flat major, No. 11, E flat major; No. 12, C minor

 

14.00

Sonata No. 1 in C minor, op. 4, No. 1

Variations in E major, op. post.

Nocturne in C minor, op. post.

Marche funebre (C minor), op. 72

Fugue in A minor (1841-42)

Rondo in C minor, op. 1, No. 1

Souvenir de Paganini (Variation in A major)

Barcarolle in F sharp major, op. 60

--

Rondo a la Mazur (F major), op. 5, No. 2

Variations brillantes (B flat major), op. 12

3 Études, op. post. (F minor, A flat major, D flat major)

Rondo in E flat major, op. 16, No. 3

 

18.00

Sonata No. 4 in C minor, op. 4, No. 1

Impromptu in A flat major, op. 29

Impromptu in F sharp major, op. 36

Impromptu in G flat major, op. 51

Impromptu in C sharp minor, op. 66

--

Polonaise in C minor, op. 40, No. 2

Polonaise in G minor, op. post.

Polonaise in B flat major, op. post.

2 Nocturnes, op. 55 (No. 1, F minor; No. 2, E flat major)

4 Mazurkas, op. 17 (No. 1, B flat major; No. 2, E minor; No. 3, A flat major; No. 4, A minor)

3 Mazurkas, op. 59 (No. 1, A minor; No. 2, A flat major; No. 3, F sharp minor)

Waltz in E flat major, op.18

Waltz in A flat major, op. 34, No. 1

 

20.00

2 Nocturnes, op. 27 (No. 1, C sharp minor; No. 2, D flat major)

Waltz in G flat major, op. 70, No. 1

Waltz in A flat major, op. 42

Polonaise in A flat major, op. post.

Polonaise in G sharp minor, op. post.

4 Mazurkas, op. 68 (No. 1, C major; No. 2, A minor; No. 3, F major; No. 4, F minor)

4 Mazurkas, op. 67 (No. 1, G major; No. 2, G minor; No. 3, C major; No. 4, A minor)

--

Fantasie in F minor, op. 49

Berceuse in D flat major, op. 57

Sonata No.2 in B flat minor, op. 35, No. 2

 

Sunday, November 28^th

 

11.00

Scherzo in B minor, op. 20

Scherzo in B flat minor, op. 31

Scherzo in C sharp minor, op. 39

Scherzo in E major, op. 54

--

2 Nocturnes, op. 48 (No. 1, C minor; No. 2, F sharp minor)

4 Mazurkas, op. 33 (No. 1, G sharp minor; No. 2, D major; No. 3, C major; No. 4, B minor)

4 Mazurkas, op. 41 (No. 1, C sharp minor; No. 2, E minor; No. 3, B major; No. 4, A flat major)

2 Waltzes, op. 69 (No. 1, A flat major; No. 2, B minor)

Polonaise in A major, op. 40, No. 1

Polonaise in F sharp minor, op. 44

 

13.00

2 Nocturnes, op. 32 (No. 1, B major; No. 2, A flat major)

2 Waltzes, op. 70 (No. 2 , F minor; No. 3, D flat major)

3 Mazurkas, op. 63 (No. 1, B major; No. 2, F minor; No. 3, C sharp minor)

Polonaise Fantasie in A flat major, op. 61

--

12 Études, op. 25 (No. 1, A flat major; No. 2, F minor; No. 3, F major; No. 4, A minor; No. 5, E minor; No. 6, G flat minor; No. 7. C sharp minor; No. 8, D flat major; No. 9, G flat major; No. 10, B minor; No. 11, A minor; No. 12, C minor)

 

15.00

Allegro de concert, op. 46

Nocturne in C sharp minor (Lento con gran espressione, 1830)

Contradance in G flat major (1827?)

Cantabile in B major (1834)

Feuillet d’album (E major, 1843)

Largo in E flat major (1837?)

3 Mazurkas, op. post. (B flat major, G minor, B flat major)

Tarantella, A flat major, op. 43

--

Prelude in C sharp minor, op. 45

Prelude in A flat major, op. post.

Trois Écossaises, op. 72, No. 3 (D major, G major, D flat major)

Bolero, op. 19

Andante spianato et Grand Polonaise, op. 22

 

18.00

Waltz in E major, op. post.

Waltz in A flat major, op. post.

Waltz in E flat major, op. post.

3 Nocturnes, op. 15 (No. 1, F major; No. 2, F sharp major; No. 3, G minor)

6 Mazurkas: A minor („Notre Temps”, 1840), A minor (1841), C major (1833), D major (1820?), D major (1829/32), A flat major (1834)

Polonaise in F minor, op. 71, No. 3

Polonaise in E flat minor, op. 26, No. 2

--

24 Preludes, op. 28 C major, No. 1 (Agitato) A minor, No. 2 (Lento) G major, No. 3 (Vivace) E minor, No. 4 (Largo) D major, No. 5 (Allegro molto) B minor, No. 6 ( Lento assai) A major, No. 7 (Andantino) F sharp minor, No. 8 (Molto agitato) E major, No. 9 (Largo) C sharp minor, No. 10 (Allegro molto) B major, No. 11 (Vivace) G sharp minor, No. 12 (Presto) F sharp major, No. 13 (Lento) E flat minor, No. 14 (Allegro) D flat major, No. 15 (Sostenuto) B minor, No. 16 (Presto con fuoco) A flat major, No. 17 (Allegretto) F minor, No. 18 (Allegro molto) E flat major, No. 19 (Vivace) C minor, No. 20 (Largo) B flat major, No. 21 (Cantabile) G minor, No. 22 (Molto agitato) F major, No. 23 (Moderato) D minor, No. 24 (Allegro appassionato)

 

20.00

2 Nocturnes, op. 62 (No. 1, B major, No. 2, E major)

2 Waltzes, op. 34 (No. 2, A minor; No. 3, F major)

Polonaise in B flat minor, op. post.

Polonaise in G flat major, op. post.

4 Mazurkas, op. 6 (No. 1, F sharp minor; No. 2, C sharp minor; No. 3, E major; No. 4, E flat minor)

5 Mazurkas, op. 7 (No. 1, F major; No. 2, A minor; No. 3, F minor; No. 4, A flat major; No. 5, C major)

--

Sonata No. 3 in B minor, op. 58, No. 3

 

Back to Top                                                   Cumulative Index Page