by Caleb Easterly
(photo: http://www.alexander-schimpf.de/)
A great performer can make the silence between the notes just as important as the notes themselves, and that's just what pianist Alexander Schimpf did last night at Zankel Hall. In a virtuosic program of music by German composers, he captivated the audience with his exquisite spacing, particularly in the Andante Sostenuto of Schubert's Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, which opened last night's concert. Schimpf displayed extraordinary sensitivity, often caressing the keys rather than striking them.
But Mr. Schimpf did not win the Cleveland International Piano Competition simply for his sensitivity. He is a consummate performer, equally at home with both classic and contemporary music. Adrian Sieber, an up-and-coming German composer born in Munich in 1975, contributed two pieces to the program. Fantasie II started off with an ostinato figure in the left hand before splintering off into passacaglia, while the ostinato was obscured and interrupted by bursts of volume and note clusters. In "…und schon vergluht," Sieber used a melodic and rhythmic figure familiar from the classical and romantic eras, but broken into pieces and transposed throughout the keyboard. By combining traditional harmonies with more modern elements, Mr. Sieber revealed himself to be a resourceful composer who looks both to the past and the future.
Bach's English Suite No. 3 was well-played, if occasionally obscured by an overuse of the pedal, blurring the quick rhythmic figures of the Gigue; it was put to better use in the solemn Sarabande. Similarly, Brahms' Ballade No. 4, composed by Brahms in his twenties, was youthfully expressive.
Any recital that includes Schubert's final piano sonata (D. 960) is ultimately all about this nearly symphony-size piece, which ranges from the most intimate of melodies to raucous climaxes. Simply to perform the piece is an accomplishment, but Mr. Schmipf brought it off with aplomb. Almost always striking the right balance between flamboyance and solemnity, he managed to both entertain and engross the audience.
The first movement, Molto Moderato, featured a graceful melody repeatedly interrupted by a low G-flat trill, a note completely foreign to the key. It sounded ominous, but as it is repeated it evolved and later resolved, creating a resolution in the final moments. The beginning of the Scherzo was the only discordant moment in an otherwise exemplary performance: marked "With delicacy," Schimpf played it with a surprising amount of aggressiveness. In the final Allegro, Schimpf attacked the keys with a violence that kept the audience pressed against their seats before proceeding to unveil Schubert's final optimism and energy.