On October 13, renowned pianist Emanuel Ax inaugurated the Celebrity Series of Boston’s 2024-2025 season at Jordan Hall. Ax, a highly decorated artist with multiple Grammy awards, a first-place win at the Rubinstein Piano Competition, and the Avery Fisher Prize, captivated the audience with a concert featuring five pieces from Ludwig van Beethoven, Arnold Schoenberg, and Robert Schumann. Despite their diverse backgrounds, a shared theme of fantasy—rooted in improvisation—united the compositions.
In the concert’s first half, Ax performed Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 13, subtitled “Quasi una fantasia,” followed by Schoenberg’s Drei Klavierstücker and the more famous Piano Sonata No. 14, known as “Moonlight.”
The performance of Sonata No. 13 began with gentle, calming chords that created a steady heartbeat throughout the piece. Ax’s left hand executed ascending and descending scales with a light-hearted grace. His stage presence was captivating; he suspended his hand mid-air after an intense passage, allowing the final note to linger before transitioning back into a tranquil section.
The second movement featured light staccatos, producing small bursts of sound reminiscent of instruments like the clarinet or horn. The Adagio introduced a dreamy, meditative theme that aligned perfectly with the title “Quasi una fantasia,” showcasing expressiveness through long trills that built anticipation. The piece concluded with Allegro vivace, characterized by a vibrant movement rich in polyphonic textures, featuring staccato arpeggios and rolling notes.
Before playing Drei Klavierstücker, Ax shared his insights on Schoenberg and the composition with the audience. Acknowledging that Schoenberg’s atonal and dissonant style might not appeal to everyone, he stated, “I find a kaleidoscope of emotions, from fury to yearning.” He expressed his hope that his performance would convey the beauty of the music to the listeners.
In Schoenberg’s “Three piano pieces,” the interplay of contrasting rhythms, tempos, and dynamics mirrored the unpredictable nature of dreams, with abrupt scene changes lacking apparent logic. The varied elements coalesced in a manner akin to “Alice in Wonderland,” especially with the cliffhanger ending that felt like a dream abruptly interrupted.
Ax’s interpretation of “Moonlight,” a staple of classical music, stood out as a concert highlight. While the piece features simple melodies and repeated chords, it has the power to envelop listeners in its emotional imagery as it develops. The initial slow, melancholic tunes evoke a sense of both emptiness and eternity. As the music progresses to a crescendo, it resembles a beam of light piercing a dark, gloomy night. The escalating intensity mirrored the full moon’s radiance on stage.
Following intermission, Ax performed Schoenberg’s Sechs kleine Lavierstücke (“Six Little Pieces”) and Schumann’s Fantasie in C Major. Ax described Schoenberg’s six “little pieces” as “moments of whatever emotion you choose,” inviting the audience to explore Schoenberg’s “experiments.” He humorously noted that “even if you didn’t like them, they’ll be over in a minute,” eliciting laughter from the crowd.
Indeed, the pieces were remarkably brief, with the longest lasting only eighteen bars. Each musical burst focused on a singular theme or emotion, from playful tip-toeing to slowly repeating beats. These fleeting moments captured the essence of dreams, vanishing almost before they could be fully grasped.
The concert concluded with Schumann’s Fantasie in C Major, an energetic and passionate work comprising three movements. The first two movements built in vitality and intensity, while the third shifted to a slower, more meditative pace. The piece resonated with longing, reminiscent of a flawless dance where every step fell perfectly into place. As the tempo escalated, tensions surged within the music, creating a frantic atmosphere. After receiving a standing ovation, Ax returned to the piano for a farewell performance of Schubert’s Lied Ständchen (Serenade).
With the eighty-eight keys of the piano at his fingertips, Ax wove together delicate and powerful melodies that evoked dreams and unfettered imagination. As the audience exited into the gray, rainy Boston evening, they contemplated the fantasies that linger beyond the confines of sheet music and notation.
Related Topics
