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‘From Britain as war closed in’
"With all of the orchestras that perform classical music around the globe, it is astonishing how much repertory remains unplayed. Spotlighting these pieces, several times a year, are the concerts of Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall. Bliss’ Piano Concerto in B flat evoked more the side of the 1930’s that produced Art Deco skyscrapers, shining cars and Progress with a capital P. Mr Botstein found a perfect soloist for his needs in Piers Lane, a pianist who has both the technical ability and the patience to learn unusual repertory.”
Anne Midgette |
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The London-based Australian pianist Piers Lane gave a brilliant performance of the Bliss. Lane was dressed in white tie and tails (a more formal outfit than either Haimovitz or Botstein wore) but once seated at the piano, his socks, striped in several glowing colours, could be seen. His flamboyant playing was much more in the spirit of his socks! The audience was completely bowled over by Lane’s performance and enthusiastically cheered and applauded him at its conclusion. Lane’s playing of the extended solo introduction was dazzling and set the tone for his entire performance. He projected the dynamism of the opening theme, which dominates the first movement’s development section,and the lyricism of that movement’s second subject as well as the ensuing Adagietto. Lane’s playing of the fiendish first movement cadenza was particularly noteworthy.”
David Rice |
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…Mr. Lane, fresh from his spectacular performance of Sir Arthur Bliss's concerto with the American Symphony Orchestra on Friday evening, handled [Alkan’s]"Quasi Faust" with remarkable facility. He is especially adept at the tremulous Romantic figure reminiscent of pianism from the early days of the silent film, and of the undercurrents in Liszt's transcriptions for piano of his son-in-law Richard Wagner's more white-hot moments. Mr. Lane can play quite loudly and still maintain a high level of tastefulness.
Contrasting nicely with this bombast were two Nocturnes (Op. 27, Nos. 1 and 2) of Chopin. These were intoned with the most delicate of touches and the most unhurried of tempos. Mr. Lane only uses rubato sparingly, but his choices of moments for its employment turned out to be achingly beautiful.
Finally Mr Lane presented the great ‘Carnaval’ of Robert Schumann. Mr Lane’s rendition was…sensitive, highly styled, intellectual, broadly paced, dramatic, musical. I was particularly struck by this pianist's ability to emphasize the poignancy of the composer pouring his heart and soul into the score as he created character portraits of many of his friends who, as it turns out, were primarily imaginary… His slower, contemplative sections were heartfelt but always limpid, his faster movements always exciting and technically impressive, but not too fast.
Mr. Lane emphasized in a ghostly sort of way the quotations from some of Schumann's previous pieces for piano, in particular "Papillons," as if they were part of the cerebrations of these individual characters. Since these personalities were indeed incubated and hatched in Schumann's own mind, the spectral connection was highly affecting. The concluding "Marche des Davidsbündler contre les Philistins" was suitably triumphant. This was very poetic music-making.”
Fred Kirshnit |
