More SIPCA Stage III

After lunch, it's Charlie Albright, American wunderkind, on the Steinway piano. Such crispness of attack in his Haydn Hob XVI/32 in B minor. This strikes me as a wonderful sonata on first hearing. The opening figurations are played with much humour and character. Dynamic contrasts are clear and it is simply delightful playing.


Yet it seems that Mr. Albright's youth is more obvious than John Chen's was, or Tomoki Kitamura for a current example. He has polish and talent in abundance, yet seems to be a fantastic young player as opposed to an ageless genius. I must confess to being slightly disinterested after a few minutes. Everything's in the right place, it's all so... right... and yet all I can do is look forward to his Chopin Etudes and hope that the rightness stops and the inspiration begins. A bit of harsh sound and uneven passagework in the final movement mars what is otherwise pleasant and delightful. Yet, somehow, adds to the excitement.

Well, the Beethoven (Movements 3&4 of Sonata Op.101) certainly starts interestingly. Here is the mystery the Haydn lacked. It's quite breathtaking. Until he ruins it with harshness of tone when the moving thirds come back in. Mr. Albright's tone can be beguiling, but under pressure turns metallic and this isn't so appealing.

Another Smalley Morceaux de Concours... this is the messiest reading, still interesting, and very youthful. Quite harsh in tone. I'd love to hear Mr. Albright again in a few years, I think he will develop into a very fine artist.

Wow, this is aggressive Chopin. Very. A selection of Etudes. I am craving soft edges and beautiful sound, yet knowing that they are very technically polished and, in a way, musical. It's just not my sort of Chopin.

I don't really imagine hearing him in the semifinals, but I may well be surprised. The sixths etude is full of flash and dash, which usually goes down well... Octaves etude is thunderous. My question is: why so many extraneous accents? I've played this one myself and know how hard it is, but Mr. Albright seems well in command so this doesn't make any sense from a technical point of view.

Well, the crowd loves him.


Another American youngster, Sean Chen, is up now and immediately makes a more positive impression. Interestingly, he has chosen an array of lieder and opera transcriptions. At last, somebody who has listened to the vocal lines. Die Forelle sings, sparkles and floats beautifully. Such warmth of tone, virtuosic yet not obviously so, and an enormous range of dynamic variation. So refreshingly human and real!

Playing like this makes me believe that he loves vocal music, and would be a very fine singer's accompanist. Very interesting.

I find it's easy to tell when a pianist truly loves and identifies with the repertoire they are playing, as opposed to "I'm playing this because it's a great competition piece" or "my teacher said this would be a good choice". There's so little of the former and so much of the latter.

Oh, yes. I love this pianist. The Smalley is colourful, exciting and spellbinding.

The opening of his Mozart (KV 333, a favourite of mine) is somehow very masculine. I like this approach. Clean textures, warm tone and a smile in the sound. The more I hear Mr. Chen, the more I am convinced that he chose pieces he loves to play. He seems a little rushed in the semiquaver passages here and there, but that only detracts in a minor way. The second movement is beautifully judged. Not too slow.

I keep wanting to use the word 'sparkling' to describe this movement, yet I am well aware I have used that word a lot today. So I shall merely leave it at that and allow my readers to draw their own conclusions.


The beautiful and elusive Chopin A flat major Ballade is next, and it's unmannered, straightforward, and full of lightness. I like this approach - so different to the search for profundity this piece often encounters from lesser musicians (I have been guilty of this crime myself...). In Mr. Chen's hands, this piece is full of whimsy at first, and a slightly darker side begins to reveal itself as it moves to the minor mode. The sound quality is just right. Sharp enough yet still warm and welcoming. This is not a particularly serious work in his hands, and I like that! It is a beautiful song, as it should be. It's so finely structured that it all makes perfect sense and leaves me hanging on every note.
And the R. Strauss/Godowsky Standchen - simply perfect.
I hope very much that Sean Chen will be in the next round, and the next. I think he is another ageless musician, mature beyond his years. The audience wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but somehow I think that cheers and foot-stamps after the Strauss/Godowsky isn't quite the appropriate thing...

After the break, Sergei Saratovsky begins with the rather startling Haydn Hob XVI/37 in D major. He is another pianist I like immediately. Lovely clarity and full of sunshine! I'm glad I like him, because he is playing Gaspard de la nuit later, and if that's not good, he's immediately lost points with me. The Haydn is bubbling along nicely, full of brio, a little unevenness in the fingerwork but not enough to really grate. I'm curious about his choice of a rather hard tone in the slow movement. Well, he softened it, but by that point I'd lost interest a little. The last movement flies by at a cracking pace. The word that keeps popping into my head, however, is 'rude'. It's a bit insolent at times, when I feel it should be chivalrous and charming.

Although I began by immediately liking Mr. Saratovsky, my feelings are a little more mixed now. We shall see... He's a very bold musical personality, which may or may not translate well to Gaspard.


The Smalley is, well, the Smalley. I'm getting a little bored with it to be honest. It's a great piece, but I can only listen to it so many times. The fast fingerwork is beautifully handled, and the dissonant chordal passage makes me wince a bit, as I feel it should! I must get around to downloading the score so I can make more informed comments.

The opening of Ondine is not quite the shimmering gossamer I desire, yet it's pretty decent. I tend to dislike men playing this piece, it's so very feminine, even though written by a man. Oh, now it's getting better as we get past the first page. It's very fine, but a little harsh-toned for my liking. Perhaps in the hall it is sweeter.


It's just a bit boxy and bangy for Ondine. Commendably well-handled, however, with much to recommend. It's just that... the climactic moment doesn't sound like a woman scorned. And why rush the last few systems before her plaintive plea? And yet, the final page is so beautifully articulated. If the rest of the piece had been like this... heavenly. Disappears in a shower of droplets. Le Gibet... now he's in his element here. This is masterful. Chills me to the bone. Scarbo is fabulous. It's slick, sharp and dangerous. Edgy and unbalanced in just the right way, and so sinister. This Scarbo jumps right out of the piano! I can see him... Strangely, here we have the gossamer I so desired with Ondine. Chills and shivers all the way to the end! I want to jump out of my seat and cheer!


The verdict? Yes please. I want to hear Mr. Saratovsky again. His boldness is incredibly intriguing.

Eric Zuber, another fine American pianist, begins with Mozart K330. It's very nice, but I'm not captured, despite a beautiful slow movement which is full of cantabile. He seems to skate on the surface of his emotions. And now he's speeding through the final movement... I think I'd like to hear him live. There's a hardness about Mr. Zuber's tone that I don't much like, however, I'd be interested to know whether that's a quirk of the broadcast. The Smalley, with benefit of a score, is messy, and the semiquavers marked 'very clearly' are... not. However it looks like a fiend to play, so I have respect for anyone who can do it!

Now for the Nussknacker... Well, he certainly has the fingers for it. Can't fault him there. Sugarplum fairy dances rather cutely. It's a bit facile for my liking, however. And a bit messy, especially compared with Rem Urasin's gargantuan effort four years past.

I'm not sold on Eric Zuber, but he intrigues me... I wouldn't mind hearing him again. It will be very interesting to see who the judges choose.