A delightful Viennese evening with Sassmann<\/p>\n
By Jim Read<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Albert Sassmann, a 30-year-old Austrian pianist
\nfrom Linz, promised a Viennese evening for his recital on Friday
\nnight at Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta. It was one of the final
\nmusical events in JakArt@2001, the international arts and culture
\nfestival which ran through the month of June.<\/p>\n
The event was well attended, considering the relatively early
\n(for Jakarta) start time of 7:30 p.m., although many people
\narrived late and had to sneak in during the applause after the
\nfirst item.<\/p>\n
Sassmann is one of Europe's up-and-coming concert pianists
\nwho, with the benefit of a classical music education, has already
\nwon a clutch of awards and prizes from national and international
\npiano competitions. He has performed extensively in Europe and
\nfurther afield, but this was his first trip as a professional to
\nthe southern hemisphere.<\/p>\n
He put great thought into designing a program that would
\nexplore the Viennese musical tradition, and in particular the
\nwaltz, from various perspectives, and which took the appreciative
\naudience on both a fascinating and exciting journey of discovery.<\/p>\n
As his repertoire specializes in the music of the Viennese
\nClassic, French Impressionism and the Viennese School (the latter
\npioneered by Schoenberg in the early part of the last century),
\nhe had a natural empathy for what he had chosen to perform.
\nFurthermore, his familiarity with the Impressionists also means
\nthat he is no stranger to gamelan music, as many of the figures
\nfrom that era had a fascination with it, and sometimes
\nincorporated pastiches of it into their compositions.<\/p>\n
Someone (presumably JakArt) had not produced a written program
\nfor the benefit of the audience, so this provided Sassmann with
\nan opportunity to give a very brief "thumbnail sketch" about each
\npiece before playing it, something that helped enormously to
\ndevelop an instant rapport between him and his listeners.<\/p>\n
The recital opened with Sonata in F major KV 332 by Mozart, a
\npiece which Sassmann referred to as having "a bright and sunny
\natmosphere". It was encouraging to observe that the audience was
\nwell-mannered (and musically educated) enough not to applaud
\nbetween movements, a habit that can be very disruptive when
\nlistening to live performances of multi-movement pieces of music.<\/p>\n
The final movement, full of fast, running passages, had all
\nthe passion and exuberance of some of Beethoven's piano works,
\nand, in a way, anticipated him. Sassmann's articulation and
\nsubtle control of the sustaining pedal were demonstrated very
\neffectively here.<\/p>\n
The first half ended with a transcription by F. Grunted of the
\nwaltz Voices of Spring by Johann Strauss the younger. This is an
\nexample of the genre par excellence, complete with "oom-pah-pah"
\nrhythm and a melody that encapsulates everything that was suave,
\nurbane and elegant about Vienna in the 19th century. The
\natmosphere of the New Year's Day concerts from Vienna's
\nMusikverien, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Willy
\nBoskovsky, was also brought to mind by Sassmann's spirited
\ninterpretation.<\/p>\n
The second part of the recital explored the idea of the
\nViennese waltz as seen by other composers. By now, the audience
\nhad thoroughly warmed to Sassmann, and it appreciated the great
\ndelicacy of expression that was evident in his playing of
\nSchubert's Soiree de Vienne IV, as transcribed by Liszt.<\/p>\n
A piece very well known to lovers of "salon" music followed:
\nLiebeslied (Love's Sorrow) by Fritz Kreisler, but transcribed by
\nRachmaninov. This, of all the works performed at the recital,
\nexplored the essence of Viennese romanticism to the full. Yet
\nhere, the full-blown romanticism of the Russian, coupled with his
\ninimitable, and instantly recognizable pianistic style was
\nexploited to great effect by the young Austrian.<\/p>\n
"Now you've heard a Russian version of the waltz, it's time
\nfor an Italian one," were the introductory remarks before we were
\npresented with the Viennese rhapsody Alt Wien Op 30 by
\nCastelnuovo-Tedesco. This was a piece that turned out to be a
\nrather satirical, latter day observation of 19th century Viennese
\nsociety, played with suitable panache by Sassmann.<\/p>\n
Ravel's La Valse - Poeme choregraphique marked the high point
\nof the program, and was the last item in the formal part of the
\nrecital. This showy piece, full of orchestral effects, arpeggios
\nand glissandi, presents a formidable technical challenge to even
\nthe most accomplished of pianists, and it was given both stylish
\nand bravura treatment in this performance. Here, Ravel has imbued
\nthe waltz with unmistakable French elegance, but within a
\nquintessentially impressionistic framework. This was interpreted
\nwith great sympathy and rightly drew a tumultuous reaction from
\nthe audience at the end.<\/p>\n
It was inevitable that at least one encore would follow, and,
\nin fact, we were treated to two. A "lollipop" of a piece (as in
\nthe "lollipops" that Vladimir Horowitz, one of Sassmann's
\npianistic heroes, used to play at the end of his recitals) came
\nfirst. This was a scherzo by Henk Badings, a Dutch composer
\n(chosen out of respect for the venue) who was born in Bandung and
\nit was greatly appreciated.<\/p>\n
Sassmann ended with Beethoven's Fur Elise: what student of the
\npiano has learnt this familiar old standard and managed not to
\nproduce a hackneyed version of it? In Sassmann's hands its
\nelegant simplicity shone through like early morning sunlight, and
\nthis was clearly recognized in the applause of the numerous
\namateur pianists in the audience who had listened intently.<\/p>",
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