Four-Handed Complement

by Peter Burwasser

There are few musical acts more perilous than the four-hand piano recital. The music is exposed, X-raylike, so that any imprecision between the two musicians (that's right, I wasn't talking about an actual four-handed pianist) rings through the hall for even the dullest ears to hear. The need for a partnership that is especially simpatico is thus crucial. The best piano duos are long-lived, as is the case with Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire. As a soloist, Argerich has a reputation as a fiery, impulsive performer, qualities that would seem a liability in this format, but last Friday evening her temper was mainly in check, even allowing an introspective side to emerge.

Freire may not have the star power of his Argentine partner, but he is a fine match technically and interpretively. If anything, it is the normally tempestuous Argerich who seemed to defer to the more refined pianism of Freire. This was most apparent in some of the more delicate sections of the program, such as the gorgeous Waltz in Rachmaninoff's Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos or the bewitchingly beautiful Schubert Rondo in A. In such material, Argerich and Freire were more than just precise, managing a gently inflected rhythm as well. For many duo pianists, it is enough to stay together; this pair actually made the music dance. In the early Rachmaninoff, the mature voice of the composer is fully formed, and he is technically brilliant in his lush exploitation of 20 fingers to enrich the texture and counterpoint of the music. Ravel, in his two-piano reduction of his hugely popular La Valse, seems less meticulous. One is reminded of the famous Mozart story when the Emperor complained to the composer that his music had too many notes. Mozart replied that there were just the right amount of notes. The Ravel, however, really does have too many notes.

In addition to two encores, the program also included two variation sets. The Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn loses too much color and dynamic heft when reduced from the orchestral score, and this performance also seemed uncharacteristically restrained, even stodgy. On the other hand, Lutoslawski's jazzy, flamboyant Variations on a Theme of Paganini was a hoot, played for all its worth.

Argerich and Freire produced beautiful sound from their instruments, but Verizon Hall never really resounded with the sort of vibrancy these artists are capable of. The bad news is that this does not seem to be a proper venue for solo, or even duo, piano recitals. The good news is that we have a hall in Philadelphia very well-suited for major league piano recitals, and it goes by the name of the Academy of Music.

Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire, April 1, Verizon Hall