Last night I attended a concert at
my alma mater billed as a "Distinguished Artist Concert" featuring Guest Pianist in Residence,
Jerome Rose, performing works by Beethoven, Schumman, and Liszt.
Quit honestly, it was terrible. "Uninspired" is probably the best adjective to describe the performance. I know that the hall in which he performed (not to mention the piano
on which he performed) is not ideal. I've played recitals in that hall and on that piano and know it is a challenge. However, I've also seen many, many recitals on said piano and in said room that were truly inspired and inspiring. Mr. Rose seemed bored and in a hurry to get through the performance - such a hurry, in fact, that he missed notes, rushed passages, and lacked dynamic sensibility. It was shockingly disappointing. In the program notes it mentioned that Mr. Rose has written a 4 volume book titled, "Becoming a Virtuoso." I do wonder how he found the time to both become a virtuoso and write four volumes on how to do so! Maybe he is too tired after all that virtuosic becoming and prolific bestowing of knowledge on virtuosic becoming, that he forgot how to play Beethoven's Op. 31 No. 3 virtuosically...
After the concert, my friend and I looked at each other and said simultaneously, "I need a drink." And so we drank...and then drank a little more...and then a tad more... Which led to me taking this photo on my phone at 2:28am (and to promptly devouring half a large order of curly fries and chicken tenders):
This morning I woke up a little pissed at Jerome Rose for directly causing me to get so drunk that I consumed precisely 8,672 calories and 9 million grams of fat (as well as 290 lbs. of grease) at 2:28am.
Goddamn him and his bad Beethoven.
But then I turned on my computer to find
this article and this free recording of Andras Schiff's performance of Beethoven's final three sonatas live at Disney Hall in L.A. And there it was - Beethoven
a la inspiration, passion, accuracy, a lovely piano, a grand hall,
and dynamic sensibility on top of that!
And now I am going to eat a salad at an organic restaurant.
Thank you, Andras Schiff, for redeeming Beethoven, my weekend, my appetite, and pianistic virtuosity all at once. Well done.
P.S.
My favorite quote from the NPR article about Schiff's performance of all 32 Beethoven sonatas over the last two years is: "[Schiff has] gone through serious obsessions with Schubert, Schumann, Haydn, and Bartok,
as well as major bouts of Bach and Mozart..." Which begs the question, what does cure a "major bout of Bach and Mozart?" Curly fries, perhaps?
