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afternoon, the final one of this fall's season, Sydney, Australia, native Sarah Grunstein chose a Pleyel built in Paris in 1845.
Pleyel was Chopin's favorite make of piano: the company's owner was his
friend and the dedicatee of his Préludes Op. 28 (1836-39); the 1st half
of the program was devoted to his music. Although the works were not
presented in chronological order, all pre-date the instrument. The
"Aeolian Harp" Etude, Op. 25/1 (1832-36) opened, followed by the Ballade
No. 4 in f, Op. 52 (1842). Next were the Four Mazurkas, Op. 24
(1834-35), followed by the Berceuse in Db, Op. 57 (1843-44), and the
Ballade No. 1 in g (1831) concluded the set. The 2nd half was devoted to
Schumann's Carnaval, Op. 9 (1834-35).
Dr. Grunstein, a Steinway Concert Artist, now resides in Cambridge, MA,
and is on the faculty of the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Her
performance was remarkable in a number of ways. Prior to playing each
half, she talked briefly and articulately about the instrument and each
of the works, going into greater detail for the Schumann. Her
informative and astute comments demonstrated her thorough knowledge of
the works, and she skillfully captured the listeners' interest and
attention. She played entirely from memory, a practice that is becoming
rarer and rarer these days, demonstrating her complete mastery of the
pieces. She kept the audience not only enraptured, but attentive to her
wishes, curbing with her body language its impulse to applaud too
quickly and too frequently and thus destroy the sonic spell, another
skill all too rarely well-practiced.
Then there was the playing; nothing perfunctory here. Grunstein made the
instrument sing this music and render it in a way that revealed features
and nuances not always noticed, especially in the Carnaval, to whose
diverse cast of colorful characters she had introduced us. She said, and
showed, that it was a thrill for her to play these works on this
instrument and understand and communicate the sounds that were in the
composers' minds when they, both virtuoso pianists, wrote and performed
them themselves. Her superb pianism and the special sound of the
instrument, both melodious and powerful with a warmth that modern pianos
do not have, combined to create an experience that will not soon be
forgotten, but that was all too soon over.
The listeners were equally thrilled, and Grunstein consented to play an
encore for them: the Aria from J.S. Bach's "Goldberg" Variations, S. 988
(1741-42). She said that while it might seem strange that she was
choosing to play this work on this instrument at the conclusion of this
program, she was doing what both of these composers did every day, for
they believed that one had to master Bach in order to compose, and they
esteemed Bach as the greatest composer of all time. She made the Pleyel
seem right for its beauty, too. Remarkable!
--
Marvin J. Ward, Classical Voice of New England, October 2007
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