Isata Kanneh-Mason - flying solo this time

[Ricordanza]

In December 2019, I had the chance to attend a memorable concert by the young British cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason (who came to world attention through his televised performance at the wedding ceremony of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry) and his equally gifted sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. On Sunday afternoon, March 13th, it was Isata’s turn to fly solo at a recital sponsored by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

She began her program with Mozart’s Sonata in C Minor, K. 457. And that’s all I can say because, due to a horrendous traffic jam in Center City Philadelphia caused by the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, we arrived too late to hear this work.

Already flustered by the traffic and the late arrival, I was further disconcerted to hear Isata begin to play the piece listed last on the printed program: Chopin’s Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Opus 38. I quickly checked my watch to make sure: no, this could not be the end of the program. What’s going on? Did she switch the order of pieces on the program? That’s exactly what happened, as I learned later from another audience member: it was announced from the stage before the program began that the Beethoven Sonata, listed second, would be played last, while the Chopin Ballade would be played second.

So now it was time to settle down, regain my equilibrium, and focus on the music. After a few deep breaths, the pleasure overtook the pain of the frustrating journey to the concert hall. The Ballade No. 2 is a study in contrasts. It begins with a sweet, lyrical section, but then launches into a furious pianistic storm. The sweetness returns, and so does the storm, until the piece concludes with a powerful cascade of notes. It’s a piece that requires much of the pianist, and Isata was fully up to the technical and musical challenge of this magnificent work.

She next turned to a piece by a living composer, the Russian-born Sofia Gubaidulina. This piece was written in 1962 when the composer was still a student at the Moscow Conservatory. Entitled Chaconne, this piece generally follows the theme and variations framework of that Baroque format. In its musical style, it’s somewhat more “modernist” than Shostakovich, but the elements of melody and harmony are still discernible. While this was my first hearing of the work, I could tell that it places tremendous demands on the pianist. Isata delivered an energetic and committed performance.

I was about to begin the next paragraph with the phrase, “After intermission.” But that’s not a routine statement these days. We are still in the phase of returning to normalcy after the pandemic. The City of Philadelphia has recently lifted its pandemic-related restrictions on indoor activities, but individual establishments have the option to retain some safeguards. The Kimmel Center, at least through March 31st, has chosen to keep the requirements to show proof of vaccination before entering and to wear masks while attending the performance. However, in contrast to piano recitals we attended in November and December, this concert included an intermission.

So as I was saying, after intermission, Isata presented the second work of a living composer, a piece entitled Cwicseolfor (Old English for “Quicksilver”) by the Jamaican-born Eleanor Alberga. Again, a first hearing for me, but this piece was immediately appealing in its rapid changes of tempo and mood.

The next segment was the highlight for me: five of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Études-Tableaux from his Opus 39. Like Chopin, Rachmaninoff was a master in using the resources of the piano to their fullest extent. These pieces in particular present the listener with mesmerizing sound pictures, and they proved to be the perfect vehicle to show off the many gifts of this pianist.

The last piece on the program was Beethoven’s first published piano sonata, Opus 2, No. 1 in F Minor. In this four-movement work, we can hear echoes of Haydn, the composer’s teacher, but we can also hear the distinct individual voice of Beethoven that was starting to emerge. This was the only part of the program where Isata’s performance was somewhat disappointing to me. First, she frequently diverted from the strict rhythm, which would have been understandable if it was done for a particular effect, such as emphasizing a transition or a returning theme, but there seemed to be no particular purpose to these changes. There was also what I could best describe as a lack of subtlety to her interpretation.

Still, my overall impression of the recital was more than positive, and I willingly joined in the standing ovation offered by almost all audience members. In response, Isata favored us with an engaging encore: Gershwin’s Prelude No. 1.

[Rach3]

Thanks!
Very imaginative programme.

The Masons are on the Gilmore Piano Festival , their joint recital May 2. See the link at Chatterbox here.