Virtuosity, Ease, Sophistication Make Frederic Chiu's Summer Concert Series A Veritable "Tour" de Force
BUENA PARK, CA (August 5, 2005) — Whether he's playing solo or in collaboration with Violinist Joshua Bell, the technical mastery and interpretive sensitivity of pianist Frederic Chiu continues to impress fans and critics alike throughout his summer concert performances. James Hennerty of the Albany Times Union called Chiu’s July 9 performance at Woodstock’s Maverick Concert Series “a generous helping of unusual music played by a master musician.”
The program, which consisted entirely of 20th-century works by Debussy, Ravel, Charles Tomlinson Griffes and Prokofiev, began with Debussy’s “Pagodas” and Ravel’s “A Ship on the Ocean,” both piano works that represent the profound influence these French composers had on early 20th century music. “The pianist played both with complete ease and sophistication,” noted Hennerty. “The audience didn't realize that this was a mere warm-up for the rest of the program.”
Chiu presented three works of Griffes: the 1912 "Pleasure Dome of Kubla-Khan," "Roman Sketches" from 1916, and the “1918 Piano Sonata. The pianist introduced most of the audience to this music, and gave them a portrait of a young man who was on the verge of greatness,” stated Hennerty. “These are not masterpieces, but in Chiu's hands, they came very close to being so.”
“The man's technique is amazing,” he raved, “yet he is equally masterful as a knowing and subtle interpreter. Chiu made this music in the woods as great as a Carnegie Hall recital for the lucky few who attended.”
Harvey Steinman of the Aspen Times News reviewed the Aspen Music Festival performance at which Frederic Chiu teamed with Joshua Bell to make “real music” out of Saint-Saëns Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor. “They captured the fragile loveliness of the gentle second theme, refused to let the slow movement get too sentimental and brought refinement to the scherzo,” he wrote. The finale made my jaw drop.”
Margaret Shakespeare, writing for New York Newsday, referred to the Bell-Chiu recital she attended as an “elegant anniversary gift” marking the 10th anniversary of the Music Festival of the Hamptons. “A finer present would be hard to imagine,” she wrote.
Bell and Chiu launched into the familiar Beethoven "Spring" Sonata No. 5 for Violin and Piano in F Major, Op. 24. “No matter how many "definitive" interpretations you may have heard,” noted Shakespeare, “this one turned each phrase, each note, with the kind of fresh, crisp elegance that might have even gotten attention from the irascible composer himself.”
“Their kind of music-making,” Shakespeare continues, “not flashy or precious but oh-so virtuosic, grips the ear with its clarity. Every detail – thought-through, internalized and spun into golden sound – matters to them.”
She cited that this summer’s audiences, thousands at a time, have been privileged to hear Bell and Chiu in recital at the major festivals. “But perhaps the few 100 music lovers gathered in the Hamptons’ tent were the luckiest of all,” Shakespeare observed. “This small venue captured a chamber-music spirit, that too-often elusive exchange between musicians and listeners.”
In the Saint-Saens Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op. 75, Shakespeare admired how “both players engaged sensitively in give-and-take… they both confidently let fingers fly through dense passages in the last movement, Allegro molto.” Shakespeare summed up the piece thus: “some are lured by a temptation to show off; others might be intimidated by the technical mine field. This pair made it a brilliant run-up to the mighty thematic melody – a shining example of respect and musical honesty at work.”
Learn more at www.fredericchiu.com.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
Yamaha Artist Frederic Chiu
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Chiu presented three works of Griffes: the 1912 "Pleasure Dome of Kubla-Khan," "Roman Sketches" from 1916, and the “1918 Piano Sonata. The pianist introduced most of the audience to this music, and gave them a portrait of a young man who was on the verge of greatness,” stated Hennerty. “These are not masterpieces, but in Chiu's hands, they came very close to being so.”
“The man's technique is amazing,” he raved, “yet he is equally masterful as a knowing and subtle interpreter. Chiu made this music in the woods as great as a Carnegie Hall recital for the lucky few who attended.”
Harvey Steinman of the Aspen Times News reviewed the Aspen Music Festival performance at which Frederic Chiu teamed with Joshua Bell to make “real music” out of Saint-Saëns Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor. “They captured the fragile loveliness of the gentle second theme, refused to let the slow movement get too sentimental and brought refinement to the scherzo,” he wrote. The finale made my jaw drop.”
Margaret Shakespeare, writing for New York Newsday, referred to the Bell-Chiu recital she attended as an “elegant anniversary gift” marking the 10th anniversary of the Music Festival of the Hamptons. “A finer present would be hard to imagine,” she wrote.
Bell and Chiu launched into the familiar Beethoven "Spring" Sonata No. 5 for Violin and Piano in F Major, Op. 24. “No matter how many "definitive" interpretations you may have heard,” noted Shakespeare, “this one turned each phrase, each note, with the kind of fresh, crisp elegance that might have even gotten attention from the irascible composer himself.”
“Their kind of music-making,” Shakespeare continues, “not flashy or precious but oh-so virtuosic, grips the ear with its clarity. Every detail – thought-through, internalized and spun into golden sound – matters to them.”
She cited that this summer’s audiences, thousands at a time, have been privileged to hear Bell and Chiu in recital at the major festivals. “But perhaps the few 100 music lovers gathered in the Hamptons’ tent were the luckiest of all,” Shakespeare observed. “This small venue captured a chamber-music spirit, that too-often elusive exchange between musicians and listeners.”
In the Saint-Saens Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in D minor, Op. 75, Shakespeare admired how “both players engaged sensitively in give-and-take… they both confidently let fingers fly through dense passages in the last movement, Allegro molto.” Shakespeare summed up the piece thus: “some are lured by a temptation to show off; others might be intimidated by the technical mine field. This pair made it a brilliant run-up to the mighty thematic melody – a shining example of respect and musical honesty at work.”
Learn more at www.fredericchiu.com.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622, telephone (714) 522-9011, or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
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