The first ever piano recital this year 2011 at the RCBC Carlos P. Romulo Hall featured New York-based Filipino Pianist Hector Martinez Jr.
A quiet but powerful opener was Oliver Messiaen’s “Regard du Pere” from “Vingt Regards Sur L’Enfant-Jesus,” followed by Chopin’s Ballade No. 2, the Waltz in B Minor No. 2 and Scherzo No. 4 and 5.
Martinez has a unique way of shaping his sounds, and the nuances, especially of the Messiaen piece, were artfully carved without unnecessary pyrotechnics. His Chopin was a relief because he managed to sound fresh and innovative. A few memory slips didn’t eclipse the fact that he was carving a less trodden path in piano-playing.
The last Messiaen piece, “Regards de L’Espirit de Joie,” was astounding, and it showed that the Pianist wasn’t lacking in virtuosity when they were needed. It contrasted perfectly with his finale piece, Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, Op. 23, rendered with inner force and impeccable grace.
The pianist admits playing Chopin is tough because of his melodic nature.
“His melodies are pregnant with ways of playing them,” he said. “One day you might play the melody this way, the next day, you discover another way, then the next, yet another. With Chopin, more than any other composer, you have to experiment with rubato to make the melody effective. The same experimentation happens with the harmony for the left hand. Chopin never played the same piece the same way—the same piece always sounds different when he plays it. What’s most interesting is that the most difficult pieces by Chopin are not the Ballads or the Scherzos, they are the Mazurkas.
“I have Heard Great recordings where the mazurkas are played with epic proportions. I have heard great performers play them with lightness. I have heard them played with strict tempo as if they are accompanying a dance class. And they are all amazing.”
Source: Inquirer.net
| NY-based Filipino pianist Hector Martinez Jr. |
A quiet but powerful opener was Oliver Messiaen’s “Regard du Pere” from “Vingt Regards Sur L’Enfant-Jesus,” followed by Chopin’s Ballade No. 2, the Waltz in B Minor No. 2 and Scherzo No. 4 and 5.
Martinez has a unique way of shaping his sounds, and the nuances, especially of the Messiaen piece, were artfully carved without unnecessary pyrotechnics. His Chopin was a relief because he managed to sound fresh and innovative. A few memory slips didn’t eclipse the fact that he was carving a less trodden path in piano-playing.
The last Messiaen piece, “Regards de L’Espirit de Joie,” was astounding, and it showed that the Pianist wasn’t lacking in virtuosity when they were needed. It contrasted perfectly with his finale piece, Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, Op. 23, rendered with inner force and impeccable grace.
The pianist admits playing Chopin is tough because of his melodic nature.
“His melodies are pregnant with ways of playing them,” he said. “One day you might play the melody this way, the next day, you discover another way, then the next, yet another. With Chopin, more than any other composer, you have to experiment with rubato to make the melody effective. The same experimentation happens with the harmony for the left hand. Chopin never played the same piece the same way—the same piece always sounds different when he plays it. What’s most interesting is that the most difficult pieces by Chopin are not the Ballads or the Scherzos, they are the Mazurkas.
“I have Heard Great recordings where the mazurkas are played with epic proportions. I have heard great performers play them with lightness. I have heard them played with strict tempo as if they are accompanying a dance class. And they are all amazing.”
Source: Inquirer.net
