French circus/R. Golez

Local elections have often been likened to a circus featuring mostly "unbalanced" candidates. The French Spring Circus entitled "Laissez Porter" (literally let them carry) was totally unlike our political circus. The four men and two women of Company XY were "balanced" individuals who engaged in clever, dangerous balancing acts.

The theme, as described, was "travels, airports, train stations, at the crossing of different identities".

"Laissez Porter" was aptly demonstrated by the six players who were always carrying wood boards or suitcases or balancing themselves on these — sometimes a pair would dance on a suitcase — or three persons would be perched one on top of the other, thus creating a breath-taking spectacle. At other times, three persons lying on the floor would each be balancing another vertically with a tight grip of the hands.

The performers were all young, the show needing strong, supple, disciplined, perfectly controlled bodies. Indeed, the smallest false step could lead to the toppling of a human pyramid or a suspenseful balancing act.

To gain some breathing spell, the group indulged in amusing tomfoolery midway returning to stunning acrobatics in the finale. The acts were so finely tuned and rehearsed, nothing untoward happened even in the most precarious moments, with XY truly representing the "newest, most talented of French new circus". In the audience were Ambassador Gerard Chesnel, Alliance Francaise Director Olivier Ditinger, Carolle Lucas and Martin Macalintal.

Musicologists often speak of Liszt’s compositions deprecatingly as bombastic, windy and commonplace. But with the right interpreter – as the richly talented, artistically sensitive and highly trained Rudolf Golez is – its beauty, lyricism, dramatic contrasts of color, rhythmic effects and mood, and ingenious devices can surface immeasurably.

This was so in Rudolf’s all-Liszt concert last Thursday at the F. Santiago Hall. The printed program described Liszt as a nationalist in Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11, a dreamer in Liebestraum (Dream of Love), a religious man in St. Francis de Paule Walking on the Waters, a dramatist in the Rigoletto Paraphrase, a virtuoso in Etude in A (from Paganini’s Caprice) and a musical philosopher in Sonata in B. Minor.

All these pieces are familiar to the music lover – I have heard each repeatedly and the classifications as nationalist, dreamer, etc. seemed integrated in most of the works rendered. Further, every piece, made sparklingly fresh by Rudolf, was composed by a virtuoso for a virtuoso. Rudolf amply exhibited not only power and resonance – these would have been even more impressive on a Steinway – but also technical skill. His utmost tonal clarity had each note clear as a bell in the runs and chords, and even in the densest, most rapid, complex and florid passages. He dramatically differentiated the compositions from one another, yet rendered them equally evocative through varied tonal hues and gradations, subtle shadings and control of dynamics which at their most forceful stirred the audience resoundingly.

Hungarian Rhapsody – more Gypsy than Hungarian – was an early augury of the gratification and excitement the concert was to offer. Liebestraum had sentiment but eschewed sentimentality. St. Francis de Paule Walking on the Waters, eloquently etched by constantly repeated runs and massive chords in varied dynamics, depicted the exquisite impressionism from which, according to musicologists, Debussy borrowed. The Rigoletto paraphrase demonstrated the clever innovativeness of Liszt’s many transcriptions which were to influence Wagner. The Sonata in B Minor, diabolically challenging, was a triumph of Rudolf’s musicality, intelligence, range of expressivity and mastery of technique.

Thoroughly assured and confident, Rudolf admirably delineated the characteristics of Liszt’s music. Like Reynaldo Reyes, Rudolf has started to devote each concert to a single composer to explore his music more widely and to render its many aspects more comprehensible to the audience.

Fervid applause elicited "Dance of the Gnomes". Russel Brandon as listener’s guide gave brief remarks. In today’s profusion of remarkable pianists, Rudolf Golez decidedly makes his singular and distinctive presence felt.