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ARMENIAN CELLIST DISPLAYS STELLAR ARTISTRY AT GARDNER MUSEUM
Boston Classical Review
Oct 8 2012
MA
With a display of formidable technique and musical acumen, young
cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan made a strong impression as a performer
to watch Sunday afternoon at the Gardner Museum.
He offered a wide-ranging program: standard repertory like Franck's
A Major Sonata, Chopin's Introduction and Polonaise brillante, Op. 3
and Tchaikovsky's Nocturne and Pezzo Capriccioso, juxtaposed with
challenging modern works like the Ligeti solo Cello Sonata and The
Jew: Life and Death by Russian composer Mikhail Bronner. A sold-out
Calderwood Hall witnessed Hakhnazaryan, who was ably supported by
pianist Noreen Polera; one suspects that years from now many more
will claim "to have been there then."
The 24-year-old Armenian was the gold medal winner at last year's
Tchaikovsky competition. Such an achievement nearly always guarantees
solid technique, but does not always guarantee musical insight.
A reading of the familiar Franck Violin Sonata arranged for cello was
the first major work of the afternoon. Both players seem to delight in
the attack, especially in the brisk second movement: Polera was guilty
of an almost too vigorous opening tempo, storming through various runs,
right up to the finish, eliciting vigorous premature applause.
The sonata hinges on a familiar six-note motive, rising first but
quickly descending, which gets repeated and reworked in all the
movements. It's not possible, but it sounded like Hakhnazaryan invested
each repeat with a new insight, enlivening the reading throughout.
Terrifically virtuosic playing highlighted the Chopin, especially
in thumb position, where the composer demands feathery fingering,
often accompanied by ponticello bowing, to create delicate gestures
that starkly contrast the otherwise ferocious playing. This is a
stately work of imaginative structure, the pianist subtly guiding
the attack; Polera showed why she is widely admired for her expertise
accompanying cellists.
A brief pause led to the Ligeti sonata, another bold work with extended
technique. A handsomely wrought piece, its two movements-Dialogo and
Capriccio-sound entirely unrelated, with the opening lyrical, invoking
popular, folk-style melodies, and the Capriccio relentlessly driving
in the same rhythmic pattern. Only a touching quote from the Dialogo
that interrupts the second movement yokes them together. Hakhnazaryan
made the most of the moment, sticking the pause before and after
dramatically.
Even greater technical challenges faced the soloist in Bronner's
theatrical The Jew: Life and Death. In two fanciful movements, it was
highlighted by pizzicato of every variant, including a remarkable
kind of pizzicato glissando, martele bowing, and the cellist even
moaning a low drone and whistling sometimes, with the pianist tapping
her feet noisily as well.
Tchaikovsky's familiar and equally demanding works concluded the
ambitious program, offering further confirmation-if any was needed-that
this is a cellist with a major future. Lyrical and spirited interplay
governed the reading.
The afternoon opened with a personal remembrance by Hakhnazaryan of
Armenian composer Edvard Mirzoyan, who passed away over the weekend,
and a performance of Faure's Elegie was offered in remembrance. Then,
having invested the entire program with virtuosity, the cellist ended
the recital with an encore of a work from the legend of virtuosity
himself, Paganini's Variations on One String from a Theme of Rossini's
Moses.
Music at the Gardner continues 1:30 p.m. Oct. 14 with New York Festival
of Song in a program called "Dvorak and the American Soul."
gardnermuseum.org; 617-278-5156.
http://bostonclassicalreview.com/2012/10/armenian-cellist-displays-stellar-artistry-at-gardner-museum/
Boston Classical Review
Oct 8 2012
MA
With a display of formidable technique and musical acumen, young
cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan made a strong impression as a performer
to watch Sunday afternoon at the Gardner Museum.
He offered a wide-ranging program: standard repertory like Franck's
A Major Sonata, Chopin's Introduction and Polonaise brillante, Op. 3
and Tchaikovsky's Nocturne and Pezzo Capriccioso, juxtaposed with
challenging modern works like the Ligeti solo Cello Sonata and The
Jew: Life and Death by Russian composer Mikhail Bronner. A sold-out
Calderwood Hall witnessed Hakhnazaryan, who was ably supported by
pianist Noreen Polera; one suspects that years from now many more
will claim "to have been there then."
The 24-year-old Armenian was the gold medal winner at last year's
Tchaikovsky competition. Such an achievement nearly always guarantees
solid technique, but does not always guarantee musical insight.
A reading of the familiar Franck Violin Sonata arranged for cello was
the first major work of the afternoon. Both players seem to delight in
the attack, especially in the brisk second movement: Polera was guilty
of an almost too vigorous opening tempo, storming through various runs,
right up to the finish, eliciting vigorous premature applause.
The sonata hinges on a familiar six-note motive, rising first but
quickly descending, which gets repeated and reworked in all the
movements. It's not possible, but it sounded like Hakhnazaryan invested
each repeat with a new insight, enlivening the reading throughout.
Terrifically virtuosic playing highlighted the Chopin, especially
in thumb position, where the composer demands feathery fingering,
often accompanied by ponticello bowing, to create delicate gestures
that starkly contrast the otherwise ferocious playing. This is a
stately work of imaginative structure, the pianist subtly guiding
the attack; Polera showed why she is widely admired for her expertise
accompanying cellists.
A brief pause led to the Ligeti sonata, another bold work with extended
technique. A handsomely wrought piece, its two movements-Dialogo and
Capriccio-sound entirely unrelated, with the opening lyrical, invoking
popular, folk-style melodies, and the Capriccio relentlessly driving
in the same rhythmic pattern. Only a touching quote from the Dialogo
that interrupts the second movement yokes them together. Hakhnazaryan
made the most of the moment, sticking the pause before and after
dramatically.
Even greater technical challenges faced the soloist in Bronner's
theatrical The Jew: Life and Death. In two fanciful movements, it was
highlighted by pizzicato of every variant, including a remarkable
kind of pizzicato glissando, martele bowing, and the cellist even
moaning a low drone and whistling sometimes, with the pianist tapping
her feet noisily as well.
Tchaikovsky's familiar and equally demanding works concluded the
ambitious program, offering further confirmation-if any was needed-that
this is a cellist with a major future. Lyrical and spirited interplay
governed the reading.
The afternoon opened with a personal remembrance by Hakhnazaryan of
Armenian composer Edvard Mirzoyan, who passed away over the weekend,
and a performance of Faure's Elegie was offered in remembrance. Then,
having invested the entire program with virtuosity, the cellist ended
the recital with an encore of a work from the legend of virtuosity
himself, Paganini's Variations on One String from a Theme of Rossini's
Moses.
Music at the Gardner continues 1:30 p.m. Oct. 14 with New York Festival
of Song in a program called "Dvorak and the American Soul."
gardnermuseum.org; 617-278-5156.
http://bostonclassicalreview.com/2012/10/armenian-cellist-displays-stellar-artistry-at-gardner-museum/