N.Villanueva dazzles / H. Jess surprises / cellist Lucas glows

Too modest to have included his own name in the printed invitation, German Ambassador Herbert D. Jess, who has been presenting scores of pianists in his residence, performed himself as pianist last Wednesday to the audience’s considerable surprise – and delight.

In the opening Sonata for Four Hands in D Major, Nena Villanueva and Mr. Jess conveyed the musical riches of the composer and all the technical resources of his time. The gracious themes and variations were articulated by Nena with singular fluidity and sensitivity, and by Mr. Jess with sureness of touch, his chords firm, full and resonant.

Mr. Jess’s prefatory remarks for Schumann’s Knecht Ruppreccht heightened interest and pleasure as he pictured Santa Claus, handing gifts and candies to good children while not sparing the rod for the mischievous ones. In the gift distribution, jolly Nick has a helper, likewise in heavy boots and thick apparel, straddling through the snow. Pianist Jess was obviously enjoying himself as much as the listeners who were "seeing" Schumann’s charming Christmas portrait.

The piece began tremoulously because Santa Claus was dealing with the naughty children first!

In lively, infectious martial air, R. Ellenberg’s programmatic composition presented what Mr. Jess had described, and later conveyed with Nena, through their playing: A wintry ride around Russia’s St. Petersburg Square, sleigh bells ringing while reflecting the Yuletide spirit.

The refinement, restraint (or understatement) make for Faurés distinctive style, which style Nena and Carrinda Regala recreated in five pieces, from Berceuse (lullaby) to Pas Espagnole. Like Bizet, Faure and fascinated by Spanish music, and Pas might be regarded as a Frenchman’s version of it while Spanish elements unmistakingly surface in its themes and rhythmic pulse. The beautiful polished renditions were marked with the closest rapport.

With remarkable variety informing the program, Nena, the evening’s main attraction, so to speak interpreted three Rachmaninoff works, making each a virtuoso piece. The Etude Tablaeu in E Flat Minor begins tempestuously, then slowly grows calm, while the ensuing Prelude in B Major, which starts in a tranquil mood, gradually reached a frenetic climax. How vibrantly, how dramatically Nena delineated the stark contrasts!

Again, Moment Musicale in E Minor was nothing less, a demonstration of incredible dexterity – e.g., rapid runs of the left hand followed by those for the right. Brilliant pianist likewise characterized the rendition of Ginastera’s Banza Argentina No. 3 (Banza del gaucho metrero), its clusters of notes played at breath-taking speed, intensity alternating with lyrical outbursts of Argentinian themes. In all the pyrotechnics, passionate feeling was expressed in pounding, dynamic rhythms.

In Benezetti’s Andante Finale from the opera Lucia arranged by Leshetizky for the left hand alone, Nena dexterously fulfilled the arranger’s tour de force of making the audience feel it was listening to both the right hand (for the melodious tenor’s aria) and the left (for the harmony).

The finale, Le Grande Tango for Cello and Piano was a daunting, avant-garde composition abounding in a combination of modern devices: Clusters, pizzicatos, glissandi – technical challenges which were fully matched by pianist Nena and cellist Renato Lucas, the luminous, soaring tones of the cello complementing the densities of sound emanating from the piano.

Nena’s virtuosity was awesome. Mind-boggling. And power was never wanting. In response to the fervid, unending applause, she played a Chopin Nocturne to calm the excitement her phenomenal performance of Rachmaninoff, Ginastera and Piazolla had generated, having been a meeting of skill, style, substance and spirit.

In sum, the unique musicale proved so fulfilling its diversity, range, interpretive, expression and content, music lovers could not have asked for more.

Errata

In fairness to pianist Jiovanney Emmanuel Cruz, the typo errors that appeared in my review of his recital have to be corrected.

There was no mistaking one composer for another through the pianist’s heightened sense (not series) of the lyrical and the dramatic. The ultimate impression of the listener (painted) was that Chopin’s romanticism (has) tended at times to feminism. The words painted and has were not in the original review. Through Cruz’s deft, fleet fingers, how the piece evoked (not looked) cascading water-flowing fountains, etc.