Piano aux Jacobins, 19/09/2015

J.S. Bach : Italian Concerto, BWV 971
Debussy : Estampes
Chopin : Ballades Nos. 1-4
Ravel : La Valse

François Dumont, piano
Not being a stickler for "authenticity", nor a great fan of Baroque-era music, I tend to prefer Bach's keyboard music on a modern grand, rather than a harpsichord.  Quite aside from the greater expressive range of the piano, something about hearing it on the younger instrument emphasises the timeless quality of Bach's music, whereas the harpsichord (or its cousins of the period) makes it sound, in my opinion, old-fashioned.  The joyous Italian Concerto is a particularly strong candidate for the modern piano, the exuberance of its outer movements presents an even stronger contrast with the eloquent grace of the central arioso than the usually more controlled harpsichord can manage.

François Dumont, one of the bright lights of the rising generation of French pianists, at just 30, commenced his programme with this gem, crisply articulated and well-paced.  The melodic line of the first movement was a little more decorated than most versions I've heard, and he opted to slightly fan the larger chords, which gave slightly more liquid quality to the whole, rather than the contrast between running, toccata-like finger-work and block chords that is more standard.  Even more striking, Dumont's playing tends to left-hand dominance, which brought out Bach's contrapuntal writing to spectacular effect, in the last movement in particular.

This very strong left hand had its downside, however.  If the Debussy Estampes played cleanly, though without great distinguishing features, the four Chopin Ballades were more imbalanced.  In the first, the pulse that accompanies the statement of the first theme was too heavy, but the second Ballade, where the left hand has a more significant role, was well-served, while in the fourth, Dumont displayed a very finely-tuned sense of rubato.  However, the Chopin as a whole was not helped by the  Yamaha piano.  Characteristically of this make, it had a good, sonorous bass, but a rather metallic treble, and nothing Dumont could do would make the upper registers sing as they should, especially in Chopin.

On the other hand, the Yamaha's very sharp key action was most effective in La Valse, a dense and immensely demanding transcription of the orchestral poem by the composer, but in which every detail was crystal clear, without losing any of the impulse of the music.  Ravel is as engrossing to watch at the keyboard as he is in the orchestra, and despite the complexity of the piece, Dumont made it look effortless, right up to the last bars.

[Next : The next event for which I actually hold tickets is 13th October.  However, 1st, 3rd and 11th are HD broadcasts which I may or may not be able to attend.  As they say, watch this space.]