Daria Podorozhnova opened the semifinal concert with Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat major, joined by the Dali Quartet. This is one of my favorite pieces in the piano chamber music repertoire, and I was excited to hear Podorozhnova’s (and the Dali Quartet’s) interpretation. The semifinals and finals of this competition are in a different venue than the solo rounds—the National Hispanic Cultural Center, which has a large hall that will accommodate the New Mexico Philharmonic for the finals. As an audience member, the piano sounded much less bright here than at the other venue, and perhaps because of the large space, her playing was often covered by the quartet during the thicker sections of the piece. When playing chamber music, pianists must be careful to not play too loudly and cover the strings, especially for repertoire that was written for the piano of Schumann’s day (pianos have changed much more since the early 19th century than string instruments have). Podorozhnova may have gone too far in that direction, however, and underplayed at times. She communicated with the quartet very well, and their ensemble as a group was excellent, especially considering they had only one day of rehearsals. Her preparation of the piece seemed less complete than her solo performances, as I expect it will be of most of the contestants. This competition asks a lot of its pianists, and out of the four rounds, this round could take lower priority than the others when practicing (less likely to reach than the first and second rounds, and less technically demanding than the concerto). This round allows the jury to see how the contestants play when stretched thin! My favorite moment was the final fugal section in the finale, when the first movement’s theme comes back in a slower form—Podorozhnova’s playing shone here, and she and the quartet seemed especially connected.
A note about the pianos: after the first round, there were two Steinway pianos contestants could choose from. Every piano has its own distinctive characteristics, even two 9-foot concert grands by the same brand. The way to tell these two pianos apart is that one is matte, with sharp-cornered edges by the keyboard and a foldable fallboard (keboard lid) flap, and the other is shiny, with rounded edges by the keyboard and a non-foldable fallboard flap (probably the newer of the two). This flap aspect may seem trivial, but on models where the front of the fallboard does not farther fold in when it is raised off the keys, it is possible to hit your hand on it accidentally when playing dramatic, difficult repertoire. This is probably not a real factor in the contestants’ decision between the instruments, but may be an annoyance (one contestant tried to fold down the non-foldable flap during the quarterfinals recital before realizing it was impossible). The extra hinges in the foldable flap sometimes buzz when the piano is played, which is probably the reason why Steinway’s new design omits it.
Leo de Maria played Brahms’ Piano Quintet in f minor with the Dali Quartet, using the same piano as Podorozhnova before him. This piece was published around 20 years after Schumann’s Piano Quintet, and alongside the Schumann, is widely considered one of the best in the genre. It began its life as a string quintet, was transcribed into a sonata for two pianos, and then entered its final form as a piano quintet (Brahms destroyed the original string quintet version). It may have partially been the piece, but the balance between the piano and strings seemed better from the beginning—the piano’s sound joined with and pierced through the quartet’s sound more effectively than in the Schumann. De Maria’s playing was solid and expressive, and I especially enjoyed the bell-like sound he brought out of the upper register of the piano. The first and last movements were fiery and exciting, and the second was tender and expressive. The ensemble was great overall, with only a couple of arrivals barely out of place. He played with a commanding lyricism and control throughout. A fantastic performance!
Delvan Lin performed next, also playing Brahms’ Piano Quintet in f minor. My first impression was that his sound did not project quite as well as de Maria’s, but the ensemble and energy was fantastic. Lin moves a fair amount when he plays, and that motion, moving together with the string quartet for musical gestures, really helps bring an ensemble together. When playing chamber music, your group doesn’t have time to rehearse every specific gesture in a 45-minute piece (especially with only one or two rehearsals). Playing well together comes down to listening intently to the other musicians, moving together for big moments of arrival, and knowing your part well enough to be able to adjust on the fly to what you are hearing. Lin’s playing was especially electric in the dramatic silences and following flurries of 16th notes in the first theme of the first movement, and he achieved a special warm sound in the slow second movement, blending beautifully with the strings. He and the quartet explored the full range of this quartet’s musical expression, from the most intimate to the most dramatic. I also really enjoyed how he and the quartet held back and built intensity slowly through the intricate contrapuntal section of the third movement, creating a long, driving line that didn’t let off until a perfectly placed slight rubato at the arrival of the main theme. A very enjoyable performance, riveting from start to finish (with the biggest standing ovation so far today).
Monica Zhang changed things up with a performance of Dvorak’s Piano Quintet no. 2 in A major, and was also the first contestant to choose the shiny piano today, which seemed to have a slightly more crisp, clear sound than the matte piano. Right away, she seamlessly blended with the quartet’s sound. In the first movement, she demonstrated her ability to be a sensitive accompaniment in the background as well as a leader of the group from the keyboard. I find it incredible that these musicians probably met for the first time just yesterday—their playing was so tight and exciting, as well as unified in musical purpose. Like Delvan Lin, Zhang’s ensemble presence was dynamic and she moved especially organically with the music and the Dali Quartet. I really enjoyed the section in the second movement where the piano part in triplets ducks and weaves through the string’s active 16th-note accompaniment. She always knew how her part fit into the larger ensemble, bringing out the bass line in sections without a low cello line, and backing off with the left hand when the cello dominated the lower register (just as one example). Excellent playing (and another big standing ovation from the audience).
Zhu Wang closed out the evening’s performances with another rendition of Brahms’ Piano Quintet in f minor, switching back to the matte piano, with its slightly warmer but less clear sound. He made the piano sing, carefully voicing out the top notes of his right hand while suppressing other parts of the texture, letting the piano blend with the Dali Quartet while also projecting through their sound. Like in previous rounds, Wang impressed with his consistently good sound and extremely solid playing. No note was out of place, and each phrase was beautifully laid out. The Dali Quartet has been amazing throughout this evening, and somehow still had energy for their third performance of Brahms f minor quintet in one day (and fifth performance of a huge piano quintet in as many hours). Being drawn to perform last seems a double-edged sword—on one hand, your performance remains freshest on the audience’s memory, but on the other hand, everyone’s energy is on the wane by this point. Wang and the quartet nevertheless put together a polished performance with intimacy and excitement both.
The three pianists who make it to the finals on Sunday will now have their work cut out for them, pivoting yet again to refresh and practice their concerti, likely with just one or two rehearsals tomorrow and Sunday. Regardless of whether they make the finals or not, all of tonight’s performers have achieved a great accomplishment by making it this far in this competition!