When two pianists seem collectively, the standard adjustment is that the curves of their devices are hugged within the Ying-yang formation. The musicians collide by the area, about 9 toes away.
However when Vikingur Olafsson and Yuja Wang introduced their star tour to Duo in Carnegie Corridor on Wednesday night time, solely inches cut up them. They have been sitting aspect by aspect, the piano scattered in reverse instructions such because the butterfly wings, like gamers within the center.
Olafson and Wang weren’t watched a lot throughout the efficiency, and Wang, who was nearer to the viewers on a regular basis, felt just like the dominant presence and sound on this duet. However their bodily closeness is registered in a continuously united method to their richly satisfying program.
Had a balanced transparency even on the most failed moments of Schubert’s fantasy in F minorS Olafson and Wang’s Rubat – their expressive flexibility with tempo – they felt each spontaneously poetic and exactly shared within the passage when the tranquility took within the first motion of “Rahmaninof’s Symphony Dance” with the longing melody This is given to the Alto saxophone Within the absolutely orchestrated model of the work.
Their types have been distinctive, even positive. Within the attractive vibrating chords within the first motion of Schubert’s fantasy, the contact of Olafson was a bit extra highly effective and extra muted, shockingly and coolly minimize as a polygraph. Cool, sure, however it may also be lyrical as within the delicate begin of Luciano Berio “Water Piano”, “ who opened the live performance.
Brief, light, spare items from Berio, John Cage (the start “Experience No. 1”) and arvo half (“Anthem to a great city”) give this system a meditative backbone. They have been crossed with three important anchors: the “symphonic dances” that Rachmaninoff put for 2 piano whereas writing the orchestra model; Schubert’s fantasy; And John Adams “Hallelujah Junction.”
An settlement by Thomas Ades from Conlon Nancarrow Survey No. 6One in every of his sensible workout routines as a player-piano, in some way transforms advanced rhythmic layers right into a bumping rumba. Just like the live performance as an entire, he made the virtuosity appear to be pure enjoyable.
Olafson and Wang skillfully knit the items collectively. They moved with out a pause from Berio to Schubert and opened the fantasy in the identical temper of a comfortable thriller as “Wasserklavier”, the music solely regularly acquires form and definition.
Nancarrow’s delirium polisms have been the best teaser for the 4 -end Hallelujah Junction, which started with Olafson, saturating the combination, whereas the Wang line couldn’t have regarded by the textures. Within the second part, they positioned the sound washing towards Pinpricks, and till the final part they have been in a grand, generally stormy groove, swelling at organized chaos-later echoed within the semicircular waltzes and the climacactic darkness-lime-light-light battle of “symphony dancing” S
It’s a recital of Yuja Wang, even solely partly, there have been many encoras: two sleek waltzes on Brahms and certainly one of his Hungarian dances, one of many “Slavic dance of Disharak” and the merry minister.
However even when it got here lengthy earlier than the tip of this system, the music that felt like the proper encore was “a hymn for an amazing metropolis.” Half devoted the end result to 2 fellow Estonian emigrants, with whom he remained on a visit to the US in 1984, when the monitor was premiered on the Lincoln Middle.
Not quite clear Whether or not the composer is meant for town within the title to be finalized or solely in New York, and Wang and Olafson have performed it in latest months. However on Wednesday, with these two very good gamers sending Filigran, he flourished like Sparklers towards the background of tranquility, he had the concentrated sweetness of the native love letter.
Viking Olafsson and Yuja Wang
It’s carried out on Wednesday in Carnegie Corridor, Manhattan.
