Ultimate?

Earlier in the week to hear the tail end of Levit's cycle of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Headed ultimate in part because it may turn out to have been the last such outing of the season. This morning is presently slated to be the last, but what with the failure of the Epsom trains and the strength of the sun we may not make it.

An outing which was also intended to celebrate the return of hearing, after a run of concerts with improper hearing. Unfortunately, on this occasion I managed to be in the middle of a short cold, so up and running, but not running so very well. Clearly getting older for such matters to loom so large!

Something of a gala concert, the last of the cycle, possibly performed in the natural order, with this one being the last three, Op.109, Op.110 and Op.111. I had had it in my mind that Goode had played the last of the these the week before at the RFH, but closer inspection of the programme after the event revealed that he had played Op.110. See reference 1. Also gala in that it was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 with the help of what I counted to be ten microphones, six of which were in the central cluster hung from the ceiling.

It turned out to be a tremendous performance, although, as someone said on the stairs on the way out, maybe the dynamic contrasts were a bit overdone - but maybe we have to excuse that in such a young pianist, with Levit being just 30. And for me, the dynamic range which works in a concert hall, compared with that which I get on my hifi and which works in my study, quite a small room (although a substantial double bedroom in estate agent speak), is very much part of why we bother to hear music live. That aside, most of the music was very familiar, but not so familiar that I didn't get into a muddle, as will be recounted.

Levit's playing style was to play without score with his face quite close to the keyboard for much of the time. And he gave himself quite long pauses at beginnings, while he cranked himself back up to concert pitch. So while there was such a pause between the first two sonatas, there was no standing up and no clapping. But there was a proper pause between the second and third of the three. So, despite wondering vaguely at the length of what I though was the first sonata, I completely failed to realise that it was the first two. Very enthusiastic clapping at the end of the third, with plenty of people in the audience who looked as if they knew the sonatas a lot better than I did. Then everyone got up, leaving us wondering what was going on. The programme said no interval.

Eventually it dawned on us what had happened, with the whole business being confused by Levit having decided to repeat the whole concert at 2200 for the benefit of those who had not managed to get tickets for the 1930 concert - with the seats that they have given us, despite very early booking, suggesting heavy demand. We still wonder how he got on: an hour's rest then a second round of 90 minutes premier league action. Perhaps something that only a young pianist should attempt.

Slightly irritated by there not having been a proper break between the first two sonatas. I like my concerts to be structured into works and movements and I like to keep my place. The structure is the framework on which I hang the experience. Clearly something which is important to me, as I bear grudge against Imogen Cooper for doing something similar in one of her concerts, with my simple view being that if the pianist doesn't want clapping at this or that point in the proceeding, either he, she or someone else should simply say so, rather than rushing from one work to the next to stop it that way. See reference 2. I wonder today whether she is running her professional life down a bit - given that we hear a lot less of her than we did five years ago and she is almost exactly the same age as me.

Managed the 2128 from Vauxhall, where the best I could do was a few singles. Single aeroplanes that is.

PS 1: Levit comes from the depths of old Russia, from Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga. Which gmaps suggests is about a kilometre wide at this point, hundreds of miles inland. A rather more serious river than the Thames.

PS 2: checking some more, it seems that we probably first heard Levit in October 2013, possibly in the Festival Hall and noticed at reference 3. The very same concert and the very same lack of break business. And at some point, I forget when, I acquired a couple of Radio 3 CD's of Levit playing the last six sonatas - seemingly something of a speciality of his.

Reference 1: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/goode.html.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/schubert.html.

Reference 3: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/beethoven-sonatas.html.