All Hail The Queen

Of American contemporary pianists, that is.

Amidst preparations for my own performance, I haven't had a chance to write about Ursula Oppens's recital of the complete piano works of Elliott Carter at Symphony Space. The audience was practically a who's who of musicians, a score-toting bunch that included many familiar faces, some that I hadn't seen in years. [An aside about the scores: why? I understand that the details of Carter are not easily grasped without a map, even when played by someone with the amazing precision of touch and rhythm Ms. Oppens possesses; but one audience member nearly ruined my concertgoing experience with the sheer volume of his page turning. Why not just buy a recording rather than spend the entire evening with your nose buried in a score?]

I was completely inspired by Ms. Oppens's total control of the instrument, particularly in Carter's pianistic tour de force, Night Fantasies. Her performance of the early jazz-inspired Piano Sonata was also exhilarating. Mr. Carter was in attendance, and although I couldn't actually see him, a swarm of admirers near the stage assured me of his presence. A video of Retrouvailles, a delicious morsel written for Boulez's birthday using themes from the Esprit Rude/Esprit Doux pieces, appeared on YouTube remarkably quickly after the concert. This was the first in what looks to be a season of Carter celebrations leading up to his 100th birthday this December. As I expected, Ms. Oppens has set the bar incredibly high.