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Church of Truth
January 29, 2012
"Whether or not it was intended as a metaphor for the predicament of European civilization in the aftermath of the Great War, its one-movement design plots the birth, decay and destruction of a musical genre: the waltz."
Composer George Benjamin's description of La Valse is not one Ravel would necessarily be in agreement with; he certainly repudiated the notion that is was in any way a portrayal of "the lights going out all over Europe": "in the course of La Valse, I did not envision a dance of death or a struggle between life and death. (The year of the choreographic argument, 1855, repudiates such an assumption.)"
Of course, Ravel's argument is disingenuous, not to mention specious. As he must surely have been aware, the date in which his ballet was set is irrelevant; moreover, it is a rare and strange artist who is unaffected by the times in which he lives.
Shoko Inoue closed her recital on Sunday night with a fiery and exciting performance of a solo piano version of La Valse which she made, in conjunction with her professor, while at university. Quite how this differed from Ravel's own keyboard transcription (in addition to the better-known two-piano arrangement I could not say: it certainly left out none of the major musical argument.
Of the four works Inoue played in the recital, the Ravel seemed best suited to her musical temperament, especially its dizzying virtuosity.
Although I would argue that the opening was, simply, too loud, the remainder of the work showed a real sense of musical cohesion, Inoue's rubato was well-judged and her virtuosity considerable.
Before going any further with this review, I must point out that the piano on which Inoue played was quite probably the worst instrument I have heard in some considerable time. Clearly inadequate to the task at hand, it was, when pushed (as in the Ravel especially) capable of some genuinely unpleasant sounds. My remarks should, therefore, be understood in this context.
The Chaconne from Bach's D minor Violin Partita is acknowledged as one of the supreme achievement in Western Music. It has also been arranged for various other instruments, the best-known and most frequently performed being that for piano by Ferrucio Busoni.
Inoue opened her recital with a big, bold and dramatic account of the Bach-Busoni; it was, one might observe, a Romantic performance - and therein lay, for me at any rate, the problem, for Busoni was no more a Romantic than was Bach.
No doubt it was, in many ways, a thrilling performance; it lacked, however, the stately and tragic inevitability which, for me, is the essence of the music.
The chaconne by Handel which followed could have hardly have been a greater contrast: musically it is far more straightforward than the Bach - as was Inoue's playing. This was surely the kind of music which inspired Percy Grainger's Handel in the Strand, summoning up images of the portly, jovial composer strolling along the London thoroughfare - no doubt on his way to a coffeehouse to discuss royalties with his publisher.
According to Anton Schindler, when Beethoven was asked what the meaning of his piano sonata Op.31 No.2, his reply was "read Shakespeare's Tempest".
Few today put much store into Schindler's account of anything, but, as Donald Tovey wrote: "With all the tragic power of its first movement the D minor Sonata is, like Prospero, almost as far beyond tragedy as it is beyond mere foul weather. It will do you no harm to think of Miranda at bars 31-38 of the slow movement..."
Inoue's performance grew in stature as it progressed. The first movement was undoubtedly stormy in nature, but seemed to live too much in the moment, with insufficient feel for the overall structure.
The second movement brought the best playing of the evening to that point, with Inoue managing to coax some attractive tone colours from the recalcitrant instrument. The finale was better still, with more carefully graduated dynamics and a very effective subito piano ending.
I would certainly welcome the chance to hear Inoue in recital again - but on a decent piano, please.
The evening was a fundraiser for the Bach with Nature tour, on which Inoue and partner Ryan May will be driving across the country, bringing live music to locations which would normally rarely get the opportunity to hear it - and planting trees.
I believe Inoue will be taking her own piano.
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