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Grace Lutheran Church
June 27, 2010
There can't have been many more than twenty-something concert goers sitting in the pews of Grace Lutheran Church for Devon Joiner's solo recital June 27th, but I still wouldn't let anybody by with calling this a "small" event. Devon performed pieces by Mozart, Prokofiev, Chopin and others with a confident virtuosity that lent the evening a much larger sense of scale and held my undivided attention throughout.
First in his six piece programme was Franz Liszt's transcription of Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre. I think it was a fantastic idea for Devon to begin with a piece that really flaunted his chops, and moreover the well translated orchestral bombast was a lot of fun. The cascading lyricism of Mozart's Rondo in A minor tastefully contrasted the preceding fanfare, rounding out the opening salvo of shorter pieces.
Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 7, second of the so-called "War Sonatas", was likely written to express the composer's feelings about life in war-time Stalinist Russia. It's one of his most dissonant and menacing works, and Devon gave it a convincingly moody performance. The stomping harshness of the first movement, the haunting flourishes of the second, and the blistering drive of the third were played with such personality that my brain started conjuring silent movie scenes of Soviet citizens fleeing in terror. Some might complain about occasional rhythmic uncertainties or technical slips, but I am not one of said persons.
I am, however, one to complain about the pieces chosen to follow the intermission. Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugues were, of course, very good; Devon really brought out the clear influence Bach had on this work, and with particular sensitivity he brought the evening's music back to a more traditional, mellow plane. Unfortunately, Griffes' Fantasy Piece No. 1 proved not to be an effective follow-up to this success. The light, fluffy, and slightly uninteresting Barcarolle might have been good for winding down from a fiery number, but after the Mendelssohn it was rather dreary.
But that's all forgivable, considering that Devon's playing isn't at fault and that Chopin's Sonata No. 3 was meant to be the real meat of the concert's second part, anyhow. And from the declarative first notes of the clear and triumphal first movement to the tumbling runs of the turbulent finale, the pianist firmly held my attention. The roller-coaster nature off this dazzling work was, above all, highly entertaining, even through moments of respite and introspection. Some of the highly technical passages were accompanied by some stumbling, but this was by and by a fantastically professional performance. Of particular note were the stylish transitions, especially from the third movement to the fourth.
In September of this year, 20 year old Devon Joiner will begin a Master of Music degree at Julliard School in New York. I wish him well, thank him for an excellent concert, and apologize for taking so long to come out with this review!
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