Anna Geniushene @ Cliburn Concerts
—Wayne Lee Gay
The names in the composer column look familiar—Chopin, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev—but the music isn't.
Russian pianist Anna Geniushene, the 2023 Cliburn International Piano Competition silver medalist (currently resident in Lithuania pending the continuation of the Ukrainian war) returns to Fort Worth this week for a pair of solo recitals in the Cliburn Concerts series, the first of which took place Thursday, September 21 in the Kimbell Art Museum’s Renzo Piano Pavilion.
The refreshingly different program revolves around the concept of presenting the Opus 1 of most of the composers listed above, along with pieces from the less-well-known Muzio Clementi and Mieczyslaw Weinberg. It's a tricky intellectual exercise, and considering that most composers don't hit their stride on the first try, a risky one. But with a musician combining the insight and technical power of Geniushene, the concept works impressively well.
The Sonata in E-flat, Opus 1, No. 1, of Clementi opens the evening; while not ranked among the musical deities, Clementi left a set of easy Sonatinas that, over two hundred years after he wrote them, continue to serve as a mainstay of teaching and introduction of young pianists to the classical style of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Clementi may not hit the heart at the same level as his illustrious contemporaries, but this two-movement sonata engages and charms.
Typical of Russian pianists, Geniushene loads this classical-era work with romantic gestures—including a yearning rubato and assertive dynamic range—that might have surprised Clementi and his contemporaries. Thanks to Geniushene's remarkable control of tone and voicing, this approach works beautifully. And it's not all in the fingers: Geniushene shades and colors with superbly controlled use of both the damper and una corda (soft) pedals.
Geniushene then leaps from Clementi's largely serene classicism into the passions of Tchaikovsky's Opus 1, comprised of a lively Scherzo a lá russe and an equally energetic Impromptu, here showing off her pianistic muscle and stamina. Although the work contains neither the pathos nor the lyricism associated with Tchaikovsky's later masterpieces, hints of his characteristic harmonic inventiveness and bits of melody abound, emerging nicely in Geniushene's performance.
Polish-born Weinberg fled to Russia during World War II and remained there until his death in 1996, in the meantime earning the endorsement of Shostakovich and some prominence within Russia. His Opus 1, a gentle, quasi-impressionistic Berceuse, features a gentle folk melody with angelic clouds floating above. Geniushene moves from there without break into Schumann's Opus 1, Variations on the name "Abegg," launched with a waltz on the melody A B-flat E G G. One can definitely hear, hidden in the flurry of notes favored by early-nineteenth-century pianists and audiences, harmonic and melodic gestures of the emerging genius.
Likewise, in Chopin's Rondo, Opus 1, sparks of genius occasionally ignite. As in the Schumann work, Geniushene demonstrates not only impeccable command of early romantic style, but the ability to float through the fingery technique required while finding the jewel-like moments within.
On either side of the Chopin Rondo, Geniushene departs from the Opus 1 theme to perform Prokofiev's Fifth and Fourth Sonatas. These are two of the less-frequently performed works from Prokofiev's cycle of nine sonatas. In Geniushene's performance, they emerge as equally monumental to the others, encompassing between the two a world of styles and emotions ranging from the limpid neo-classicism of the opening movement of No. 5 to the slowly emerging rage of the middle movement of No. 4. Intentionally or not on Geniushene's part, the juxtaposition of the works of young composers trying their wings with Prokofiev's masterful command of structure and material is in itself intriguing and revelatory.
In an admirable gesture of personal outreach in a troubled world, Geniushene presents as encore the hypnotically gentle "Waltz of the Moment" from Opus 302 (a long way from Opus 1) of Ukrainian composer Valentyn Silvestrov, who currently lives in refuge in Berlin.
Geniushene exudes, along with extraordinary pianistic powers, a friendly, unassuming onstage charisma. She delivers charming, informative comments from the stage before each half of the concert; however, the effectiveness of this practice would be greatly enhanced with a smoother, more rehearsed delivery.
WHEN: September 21-22, 2023
WHERE: Kimbell Art Museum, Renzo Piano Pavilion
TICKETS: cliburn.org/concerts or 817.212.4280
