The Lives of the Piano - The Piano and Harmony

[Donald Isler]

The Lives of the Piano - The Piano and Harmony
Lisa Yui, Director
Manhattan School of Music, Greenfield Hall
Thursday, February 8, 2024

Amy Beach: Hermit Thrush at Eve (Lisa Yui)
Bela Bartok: Romanian Folk Dances (Annie Cao)
Claude Debussy: "Pagodes" from Estampes (Yeontaek Oh)
Franz Liszt: Trauervorspiel und Trauermarsch (Michael Kaykov)
Arnold Schoenberg: Suite Op. 25 (Seth Schultheis)
Philip Glass: Etudes Nos. 2 and 6 (Nelson Ojeda)
Olivier Messiaen: selections from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (Anastasia Bryant)
Alexander Scriabin: Sonata No. 9 “Black Mass” (Eric Clark)


Pianist Lisa Yui created the Lives of the Piano series as a graduate student at Manhattan School of Music more than 20 years ago, and has kept it going ever since. These programs (usually two per year) are based on themes such as

Music from each decade of MSM's existence,

Two long time faculty members and their students,

Four teams of two pianists performing the Liszt four hand transcription of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and

Piano music from Asia.

Now a faculty member of MSM as well as of Juilliard, she has access to many terrific musicians, so the appeal of the programs is both in the creativity of the themes as well as in the very impressive pianism which is offered.

This evening's program was entitled "The Piano and Harmony" and featured her comments between performances on how each composer whose music was heard added to, altered, or abandoned "traditional" harmony as it was understood till the late 19th Century.

The program opened with Dr. Yui's playing of Amy Beach's Hermit Thrush At Eve. Mellow, lush, sensitive, and played with great clarity and voicing it was securely in E-Flat Minor till one heard the somewhat shocking imitation of bird call, harmonically far removed from the home key.

Annie Cao's reading of the Bartok Romanian Dances was thoughtful but spirited, and had subtle shadings.

Yeontaek Oh's reading of Pagodes, from Debussy's Estampes, was gorgeous, with a sense of calm in the quieter sections, and grandeur and elegance in the loud ones.

The Trauervorspiel and Trauermarsch, performed by Michael Kaykov, are late works of Liszt. Beginning with indeterminate tonality and a feeling of apprehension, this performance was powerful.

The music of Schoenberg has always been difficult for me to grasp. But on this occasion I was reminded of how, many years ago, a difficult to fathom (for me) work of Elliot Carter was brought into such focus by Ursula Oppens that I really enjoyed it. At this concert I had a similar reaction hearing Schoenberg's Suite for Piano, performed by Seth Schultheiss. Based on, but not sounding much like the movements of a Baroque suite, the Suite was played with such clarity and incisive rhythms, plus moments of wit and charm, that I felt I "got it!"

Similarly, though I have never been particularly drawn to the music of Philip Glass, Nelson Ojeda's readings of two very contrasting Glass Etudes brought me closer to it. Part of No. 2 sounded like a mantra, and the later repetition of a seven note (I think) pattern had the effect of the lights getting BRIGHTER! No. 6 was intense and nerve-wracking with a repeated pattern of octaves, a quasi-melisma and an ending on the "wrong" note.

The two works offered from Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus were also quite different from each other. They were finely played by Anastasia Bryant. The first was calm, confident and soothing, featuring buoyant chords. The other one had alarming chords and runs, and a melodic pattern that reminded me of the Dies Irae theme.

The program concluded with a wonderful reading of the Scriabin Ninth Sonata, performed by Eric Clark. Beginning in a mesmerizing manner it featured intense trills and explosive chords. Powerful and cataclysmic emotionally it ended with a return to the quiet opening theme.

Donald Isler

[Febnyc]

Gosh! I miss those free concerts at MSM. When we lived in Manhattan 20 years ago we would attend so many of them - and this one looks awesome. Thanks for the memories!