Concert Review: Jonathan Biss Recital

Concert Review: Jonathan Biss Recital

April 15, Town Hall

Beethoven - Janacek - Ludwig

I first discovered Jonathan Biss on a well-reviewed EMI Schumann recital borrowed from the library. and was immediately captivated by the directness of utterance. In fact, as I don't always take to Schumann's piano works and like performances only far and in between, against all odds it became one of my favorites.

Biss is now an Onyx artist and has just issued the first disc of a complete Beethoven set. He has taken the Beethoven works on tour. This NYC concert was reviewed in the NYT. Among others, a similar recital was reviewed in the Guardian.

Briefly, although the playing was at times a bit coarse and overly ferocious, I admired the direct and thoughtfully structured pianism. The Op 10/1, a difficult work to bring off, lacked poetry, but I was eminently satisfied by the "Moonlight" and "Les Adieux". Even better was Janacek's In the Mists, finely spun and felt. A curiosity on the program was a pleasant but light new work by American David Ludwig, called Lunaire Variations, inspired by Schoenberg of course.

Biss wrote an long essay on Beethoven, available as a Kindle single. I am almost tempted to buy the Kindle Fire just to download it. Would someone do it so I can read it?

And can someone tell me what the model of the JBL speakers are?

Postlude Aug 6, 2012:  I accidentally found out these may be the Cinema Series of the JBL 4670D, comprising the 2446H HF Driver and 2380A horn.