A wonderful interpretation of Beethoven

                                                                   —a concert response by Caitlyn Liu

 

On November 5th, I watched a cello and piano duet performed by UVic cellist Pamela Highbaugh Aloni and Vancouver pianist Jane Hayes on Livestream. The concert was held and recorded on September 18th at 2:30 pm at the Metropolitan United Church in Victoria. In this one and a half hour concert, pam and jane brought us two fabulous works by Beethoven: 7 Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fuhlen” from Mozart’s Magic Flute, WoO46 and Sonata for Pianoforte and Violoncello in F major, Op. 5, No. 1.

It was definitely a smart choice to hold this duo concert in a church, as the whole church gives a good reverberation to the sound of the instruments, making both the piano and cello sound very ethereal but clear. I was particularly impressed with the clarity of tone, as the Magic Flute Variations began with the two players playing the first notes sensitively and firmly, and very synchronously. The perfect opening immediately cleared my brain and dragged me into this concert. Such good synchronicity and rapport kept me very focused throughout the whole concert. Then, with a piano solo that, like a stream, transmitted a soft breeze to the cello, they officially began their conversation. Whenever the piano played a melody, the cello would accompany some individual notes, as if nodding its head in response to the piano’s statement. When the cello speaks freely, on the other hand, the piano plays a continuous chordal accompaniment, as if it is watching the cello with gentle attention and love. Beethoven’s compositional mastery and control of the interplay between the duo is indeed exquisite, but it is also the emotions that the two players bring to the piece that create such a beautiful image in my mind. Such fluidity and silky smoothness make the music flow lightly. Jane’s chordal dynamics were very smooth, with the left and right hands going back and forth between the chords, like a leisurely young man walking in the woods. As the peaceful and beautiful section passes, the piece comes to the seventh variation. As the cello sings the melody firmly on the G string, the piano takes up the melody and the cello starts the pizz section. This part was probably my favorite part of the entire concert. The cello’s pizz is surprisingly not overshadowed by the piano’s heavy melody, and Pam infuses this part of the playing with a very rounded power that blends perfectly with the piano. At this point, I no longer heard the timbre of strings, but more like timpani, with a solid tone and precise rhythm. After this perfect interpretation, instead, I felt as if the beauty and fluidity of the whole piece was just a foil for this marching roar. With a short melodic repetition and two crisp chords, the entire piece ended.

As the sonata in F major begins, I am more impressed with Beethoven’s propulsive approach to the piece. Like Pam’ saying before the concert begins, “the sonata is more like a PIANO sonata ‘with cello’ (very quietly).” Beethoven used a lot of piano scales in this sonata to keep the whole piece flowing forward. Each ascending scale pushes up the dynamics and volume, while the descending scales seem to be poised for the next sprint. When it comes to the most famous melody of the first movement, the piano becomes even more virtuosic, and Jane plays it in such a way as to ensure that the melody is consistent and yet allows the audience to hear every note, though each note is fleeting and flows away before it can be appreciated. The melodic line is like a ballet dancer whirling around and speeding past on the beach, and it is not the music itself that can be appreciated, but the “footprints” left by the notes. I was also impressed that Beethoven seems to use many 5th intervals in the cello pizz in both pieces. Perhaps that is the other reason that the cello pizz sounds more firm and strong.

Overall, the concert was unforgettable. Jane’s interpretation of Beethoven’s portrayal of the fluidity of the piano was very well done, and Pam’s understanding of the bass part of the cello is very unique and impressive as well. This is a concert I would definitely listen to and enjoy again.