Byron Schenkman (William Stickney Photography)
Watching Byron Schenkman in concert at Cornish’s Chamber Music Series on Saturday night, a simple thought came into my head: We’re lucky to have him.
Virtuoso musicians, truly virtuoso musicians, are more rare than you think. But when Schenkman emerged from behind a curtain on Saturday to take his place behind the piano, he created a night of music that not only marked him as an immensely talented musician, but also a man with great taste, devotion, passion, and wit.
Saturday’s concert was a more personal affair. Schenkman had selected six works that said as much about the composers as it did about him. He chose challenging works and met each challenge with grace, speed, and precision–and that would be astonishing in itself–but the program moved along on passion as well and that was the evening’s defining feature.
Schenkman is a devoted proponent of early classical music, usually defined as compositions from the 15th through 17th centuries. In fact, he has recently joined the staff at Cornish where he teaches early music. (Knowing that is enough to tempt this 48-year-old to head back to school.)
The night started with a playful piano sonata by Haydn, a composer best known for his incomparable string quartets. Schenkman dove in and breezed through with speed and clarity, a powerhouse combination for a solo performer.
Next up was Mozart’s Fantasy in D Major, a work the maestro never managed to finish. In an introduction to the song, Schenkman gave a short history of the piece and referenced that, over the centuries, many musicians have tried to finish the piece. He then boldly announced that he’d worked out his own ending. Whether he topped earlier versions can be left to other critics, but to these ears it was seamless and logical.
Schenkman performs with a supreme sense of satisfaction and he always seems to be smiling as he blazes through the works. He used no sheet music on Saturday, played everything by heart, and I had the feeling that he was enjoying the performance as much as the packed house.
While the theme of the night was Get Back, Schenkman found time to end the first half of the concert with the world premiere of Garret Fisher’s Piano Raga No. 1. Coming after two baroque works, you’d expect Fisher’s work, with its lovely flourishes of Indian ragas and its strong, powerful chord structure, to be a bit jarring. No way. Schenkman provided a strong sense of pace and accentuated the work’s strengths with ease. It was one of the highlights of the evening and the crowd gave an enthusiastic round of applause to the pianist and the composer, who was in attendance.
After a first half so self-assured and entertaining, the good staff at Cornish swapped out the piano for a harpsichord. Like many, I have a love-hate relationship with this instrument. While I enjoy the clarity of the notes, more often the sound is old-fashioned, antiquated. But that simply wasn’t the case under the hands of Schenkman.
Reaching deep into the files, he pulled out works by three 17th-century French court composers; Louis Couperin (1626-1661) and two of his students; Jean Henri d’Anglebert (1629-1691) and Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764).
And then he set to work. Wringing every bit of grace out of the harpsichord, Schenkman brought life and wit out of these ancient works, particularly the Rameau, a seven movement tour-de-force, with six variations that seemed to encompass all the styles of music from baroque to rock. Schenkman played the hell out of these works in fact, and the result was heavenly. A warm, lasting applause brought Schenkman out for two encores, another Haydn sonata, and, finally, a lovely Bach sonata.
There are many great musicians in Seattle; it’s part of what makes this a great city to live in. Saturday night, Byron Schenkman proved that he’s at the top of the ladder; a virtuoso in his prime doing everything he wants to do. If you get the chance to see him, don’t miss it.