The lights dimmed. The hubbub in the hall ceased. A voice announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Emanuel Ax!” and without delay, in walked the man himself. He was short and somewhat corpulent, but despite his age had a powerful vigor about him evident in the way he moved. Cheers and applause erupted from the packed hall as Ax took a bow and seated himself at the piano. I expected a dramatic silence as he prepared, but got nothing of the sort as Ax immediately launched into Beethoven’s Sonata Pathetique. The concert had begun.
Internationally-acclaimed pianist Emanuel Ax held a concert November 6 at Cornell’s Bailey Hall. I had some inkling of his reputation; IHS having several fans of his. I had never actually heard him play—live or otherwise. The location of the event made it a prime opportunity for any Ithacan fan of classical music to witness one of the greats in action, and I certainly wasn’t passing up on the chance. For a relatively modest $36, a friend was able to acquire tickets for both of us to attend the concert.
The program consisted of Beethoven’s Pathetique, opus 34 Variations in F major, and Sonata No. 16 in G Major. After an intermission, Ax was scheduled to perform all four Chopin scherzi. I was familiar with the Pathetique, having played it myself, as well as the Scherzo No. 3, but everything else on the program was uncharted—unlistened—territory for me. It was with no small degree of anticipation that I arrived at Bailey Hall on that day, unsure of what to expect from Ax and fixated on the perpetual question: how good would he be?
My takeaway from the concert? I guess he’s pretty OK. And by that, I mean I left thoroughly impressed after some initial misgivings and forgivings.
I was initially almost underwhelmed by Ax’s performance of the Pathetique, probably in part due to my somewhat unrealistic expectations. The acoustics in Bailey Hall did not lend themselves to a very resonant sound, and so the crashing fortissimo chords that open the piece came out somewhat less than impressively—especially since I already knew they were coming. My acclimation to Daniel Barenboim’s interpretation of the piece also led me to think Ax was rushing, especially in the third movement (Rondo). This overly critical mindset is an unfortunate consequence of already knowing a lot about the piece. I was unconsciously focusing only on finding faults rather than appreciating the musicality, which is typically not the best way to fully enjoy a concert.
Ax was met with thunderous applause after completing the piece with a furious cadenza. As is customary in this type of concert, he bowed and went offstage briefly before returning to even louder applause. This process was repeated two times. Seeing the audience’s enthusiasm, I couldn’t help but join in; my perception of his playing at least didn’t daunt my appreciation of the piece itself. By that moment, I had mentally acknowledged his skill, but still thought I had heard better.
Ax continued with the other two Beethoven pieces: the Variations in F and Sonata No. 16 in G. Since I didn’t know either of these pieces, I tried to concentrate on the sound of the piece itself over his touches as a performer, but found that I couldn’t get into either of them. The Variations seemed hopelessly academic to me, while I can barely remember any of the Sonata except for the staggered chords scattered as a motif through the first movement. I realized that I was getting bored, and decided to switch back to observing Ax’s technique.
Ax’s attacks were always sharp and fast, hands lifting off the keys in a practiced, stiff motion. At the same time, though, he switched contexts with ease, transitioning from his stiff attacks into lyrical arpeggios and longer sequences of notes almost seamlessly. One thing I noticed at this point was the vibrating, almost perpetually pedaled sound that the piano produced. I honestly couldn’t tell whether Ax was half-pedaling the whole time through the Beethoven pieces or if the texture was just a side effect of the wonky acoustics in the hall. My seat in Orchestra Left, while excellent for watching Ax’s hands, left me blind to the movements of his feet, and I kept trying to lean over the annoyingly tall people seated in front of me to get a look. I never found out how much Ax was pedaling, so it would be great if someone could tell me.
After the Sonata, the same applause routine that followed the Pathetique repeated itself before Ax actually left the stage. I had some time to gather my thoughts during the 15-minute intermission, as well as talk to classmates who were also attending the concert. I had to admit that I was a little disappointed with the actual pieces in the first half of the concert, but had resolved to stay for the Chopin, which turned out to be the right choice. Not only were the scherzi themselves beautiful and awe-inspiring at turns, but Ax performed them with a furor that made up for any boredom I had experienced in the first half and then some.
Chopin’s Scherzo No. 1 is simply an amazing piano piece, and Ax brought it to life more than even the Horowitz recordings I listened to afterwards. Ax’s body language and aforementioned style of playing fit the piece, with all its chaotic strings of cadences and resonant melodic lines, like a glove. As he entered the coda I was literally sweating and on the edge of my seat. When the piece concluded with its final two chords, the audience gave him a standing ovation, and I stood wholeheartedly with them, clapping for all I was worth. Ax’s performance of the Scherzo No. 1 was the highlight of the evening and by itself justified the price of admission.
And the second Scherzo was not far behind. I had a difficult time deciding whether I preferred the Scherzo No. 1 or the Scherzo No. 2 after Ax had performed both, and I ended up deciding that the virtuosity he displayed in the first one made it the more memorable performance. As a piece, though, I currently prefer the Scherzo No. 2. Its recurring motif is dark, yet catchy, and the subtler changes in texture throughout lend themselves to a more comprehensive whole. I applauded nearly as hard as I did for the first, although no one stood up this time around.
The other two Scherzi were markedly less exciting, although both are good pieces. They just weren’t close to the level of the first and second Scherzi; the Scherzo No. 3 I had listened to many times already and the Scherzo No. 4 is in a major key. Talk about a mood-killer. Ax’s performance continued to impress me throughout after I began observing him more closely with the end of the first Scherzo, and I was converted by the end of the night. I think I prefer his performance of the Chopin Scherzi at Bailey to the Yundi Li recording on Youtube, which is saying a lot—although I’d have to rewatch a recording of the Ax concert to be sure. Ax’s body language is just so much more dynamic while being less exaggerated, and his playing I now recognize to be masterly.
Needless to say, Ax received another standing ovation and was encored at the conclusion of the concert. He played a dainty little piece by Schumann whose name I still don’t know, providing the concert with a satisfying end. I left Bailey Hall that evening with a head spinning with melodies and a resolve to attend more classical concerts. I’ll see you at the next one.