Good Evening!
I'm back from Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, and I have to say I was totally WOW'd by Jeremy Denk's performance. Just even thinking about programming two titans of the Pianist's Repertoire on one recital is daunting enough, but then to actually do it, play it and be able to communicate with the audience so clearly - while showing a true understanding and love of the material - is a major accomplishment. At first, I thought putting the Ives' "Concord Sonata" before Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" was reverse programming, but it totally worked.
The Ives quotes Beethoven freely and obviously, sometimes with humor, sometimes with irony, other times in honor, so I figured it would go on the second half of the program. However, by placing the Beethoven second, you were able to see just how revolutionary - and downright weird! - Beethoven was during his time - and still is now. -And then, as an encore, Jeremy played the slow movement of the Ives again - which didn't seem so "new" this time after hearing the Beethoven.
Needless to say, his pianism and virtuosity was and is beyond reproach, and it was all - to use an oft-used phrase - in the service of the Music, the Composers. Yes, I was impressed with the speed of the runs, the clarity of the trills, the accuracy of the leaps, but throughout it all, it just all made sense. And, for anyone who's attempted to listen, read or play through either piece, that really is saying something.
*And I believe DR singdaw enjoyed the recital as well.
