The second recital in the ‘GauLive’ series was held on Saturday 12th March at the Kempinski. Swiss-born of Chinese ancestry, Mélodie Zhao practically ‘banged’ the concert platform with an incredible pianistic tour de force in a recital of works by Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt, arguably the greatest pianist-composers ever. Her great stamina and technical prowess cruised her through a most demanding repertoire which left the big audience present breathless, except for the recurring shouts of “bravo” after every excerpt. A bis – a most fitting Chinese excerpt – was unavoidable.
The concert was held in collaboration with the China Cultural Centre.
Albert Storace’s online review of the recital is reproduced in full herewith:
XVth GAULITANA FESTIVAL
OUTSTANDING VIRTUOSITY
Definitely a recital not to miss, this well-attended event was by a rather cosmopolitan pianist. As she was to say later, she was born in a Francophone canton in Switzerland. Her father is Chinese, her mother from Malaysia and she lives in Berlin. Introduced by festival artistic director Colin Attard, the pianist immediately launched into the first piece.
Chopin’s Étude n.1 in C Major, Op.10 n.1 could not have been a bolder entrée. As it turned out, all three Études selected were from Op. 10 and all three in C Major. It was to be clear in her chatty, really engaging, enlightening and refreshing comments on her choice of programme, she made no bones about her very deep love and admiration for Chopin and Liszt. Which is why I found the martellato in the above work a tiny bit too strong and of a rather Lisztian touch. Not that Chopin could not write strong stuff, but when he did I feel it comes firmly yet with a velvet covered hard gauntlet.
Étude n.3, the one nickamed “Tristesse” is one of the most beautuful of all piano pieces. It had the full Romantic flush of tender pathos but also a well-contrasted mid-section. In Étude n.12, last of the whole set known as the “Revolutionary”, Chopin clearly expresses his anger and anguish, venting his feelings against the Russian oppressors of his country during the failed rebellion of 1830-31.
Mélodie Zhao remarked on how innovative both Chopin and Liszt were. Chopin’s total of 27 Études are examples. So are also his four Ballades, the first of which, N.1, in G minor, Op. 23 she performed. Ever the patriot and a great admire of Poland’s national poet Adam Mickiewicz, some see these Ballades as possibly inspired by that poet’s works. However there is no specifically direct link except that in general these Ballades are inevitably akin to musicsl poems in which there is a wealth of high Romanticism, a keyboard poetry and contrasting moods and emotions. To my mind the interpretation of Op.23 had all that, pervaded with a balanced mix of technical prowess and musicianship, heart-melting tenderness and virtuosity.
As if that were not enough, Liszt’s B minor Sonata was the next work which was a journey along a musical landscape of a whole mountain range of dizzy pinnacles and lush green valleys. Here was Liszt the great innovator who made the piano sound like an orchestra and for which pianos had to be specially built.
This journey was one of just over half an hour’s duration. Although his only work with the title of sonata, it is not really one. It has various sections played without a break. Officially and supposedly never with a programme, but in her lengthy introduction to the work, Mélodie Zhao pointed out some interesting details. There are indeed certain often recurring themes associated with the music describing Mephistopheles, Faust and Gretchen in Liszt’s own Faust Symphony. This was finished three years after the Sonata. The pianist seemed to pour out all her soul into the work, from the extremes of utter softness to very dramatic moments. It evoked the dichotomy of good versus evil, the pull of the world and the spirituality of religious solace, all of which Liszt knew all too well.
This tremendously effective work was beautiful yet exhausting just to hear it unfold in all its power and glory. Yet, bless the vigour and energy of youth, because after a long, warm thunderous applause, Mélodie Zhao matter-of-factly returned to the piano as fresh as ever. With the briefest of announcements she performed Liszt’s most popular of his 19 Hungarian Rhaposdies based on gypsy themes, the N. 2. This is a showpiece of great bravura, virtuosity and embellishments with a generally slow but highly decorative earlier half or “lassù”. The latter section is a great sweeping virtuoso “friss” both reminiscent of the csárdás.
This was a triumphant conclusion and it took three calls for Mélodie Zhao to concede a lovey little dainty “Chinese Piece”.
Photo Credits: Lorne Cremona
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