Carnegie Hall: Richard Goode Performs Janáček, Schumann and Debussy

Yesterday evening, in recital at Carnegie Hall, the pianist Richard Goode performed a program of lesser known works by Janáček, Schumann and Debussy.  Although the auditorium was less than half full, those music lovers who did attend were treated to an excellent display of musical prowess by a world class musician.

The four pieces by Janáček that opened the recital were all taken from On the Overgrown Path, Book I (1911).  In order of performance, these were "Our Evenings," "A Blown Away Leaf," "Come with Us!" and "Good Night!"  The title is taken from a Moravian wedding song, and the works were originally composed for harmonium at the request of one Josef Vavrá who wished to include them in his collection Slavic Melodies.  Though Janáček's piano works rarely receive the attention they deserve, I did attend last month a recital by Gilbert Kalish and Timothy Eddy that featured the composer's Pohádka (A Tale) and found Janáček's work in this medium well worth hearing.  

The next work was Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze (Dances of the League of David), Op. 6 (1837).  This is a series of eighteen short pieces setting forth the interaction between two imaginary characters, Florestan and Eusebius, who represent the two aspects of the composer's personality, i.e., the outgoing and the introspective.  They were written at a time when Schumann was still courting Clara Wieck and are based on a mazurka (Op. 6, No. 5) she had written.  The first of Schumann's pieces creates a theme based on the mazurka's opening, and the following seventeen pieces are comprised of variations on this same theme.  Schumann's forte was his work for solo piano and this is one his is one of his greatest achievements.  It is played all too seldom, perhaps because it requires a mastery of the keyboard that few musicians are able to attain.

After intermission, the program concluded with Debussy's Préludes, Book I (1910).  These are twelve short pieces, each of them given by the composer an intriguing title such as La cathédral engloutie (The Sunken Cathedral).  The best known is probably the melodic La fille aux cheveux de lin (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair).  Though Debussy loathed the term "impressionism," this is nevertheless the best description available of these pieces.  Their ethereal tones create a mood that is almost hypnotic as they provide the listener with musical descriptions of the titles provided. Although the pieces need not necessarily be played in the published order, Mr. Goode did in fact follow the composer's listing in his recital.

I was unfortunately only able to stay for the first encore which was "Ondine" from Debussy's Préludes, Book II.

Mr. Goode is an extremely accomplished artist and deserves recognition as such.  I have attended his recitals over the years, though more sporadically than I might have wished, and have always come away with a deeper understanding of the music played than I had previously possessed.  Usually Mr. Goode has chosen programs for his recitals that have eschewed popular "showpieces" in favor of works that, while they might not be as well known, have deep significance for those wishing to better understand a composer's full oeuvre and its relationship to the piano repertoire.  I felt very privileged to have been able to attend yesterday's recital and to have heard such an impressive performance.