Piano recital

Press, 2 May 1985, Page 8

Piano recital

Sharon Joy Vogan (piano) in a solo recital at the James Hay Theatre, May 1, 8 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman.

Sharon Joy Vogan, a Christchurch-based pianist, will leave later this month for Fort Worth, Texas, to compete in the prestigious Van Cliburn • International Piano Competition. Her recital at the James Hay Theatre last evening was essentially a dress rehearsal for the event, one which ought to have attracted a full house of well-wishers. A bad dress rehearsal leads to a good performance: how many top-flight performers, I wonder, have found comfort in this ageold adage?

Not that Ms Vogan’s performance last evening was a poor one; indeed, at its best, there were moments of magical playing, where delicacy of touch was matched to powerful effect with a finely tuned interpretative sense. At its worst, however, there were a few too many mistakes, where stumbling fingers arrested momentum.

That such memory lapses occurred in the closing movements of the three sonatas presented suggests that the pianist needs to concentrate more on the art of concentration itself. It is all too easy, and invariably fatal, to dream of the closing cadence mid-way through a finale.

While the opening Sonata in E major by Beethoven was a little nervous in disposition, it was given a well coloured and generally thoughtful performance. Phrasings were clearly shaped and contrasts in dynamics well marked. Pedalling was perhaps a little uneven, beginning a shade spare and ending a shade full as the work progressed. Ginastera’s Sonata para Piano, Op. 22, was given a vital account, with perhaps the soft, rapid ripples of the second movement creating the most striking mood. The pounding Argentinian folkrhythms of the first and fourth movements were Given surprisingly good

weight, although one perhaps could have wished for a greater pointing of each grouping of the asymmetric rhythms employed. The performance of the first three movements of Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 in B minor contained some of the most satisfying moments of the recital. From an eminently stirring opening, through a succession of finely suspended melodies and a bevy of rapid runs to a tenderly wrought pianissimo line, Ms Vogan remained firmly in control of the material. It was a commendably sensitive account of a demanding score.

Ravel’s “Jeux d’Eau” made for a very pleasant close to this enjoyable recital. The cascading lines were delivered with style and feeling. Perhaps the whole dynamic level of the piece could have been held back a notch or two, particularly since the ability to spin material at a delicate pianissimo level is a genuine strength of Ms Vogan’s Playing. 1