Beethoven Festival: Spencer Myer
Scenes from near the peak, and the approach
January 20, 2012For pianists of high artistic ambition, Beethoven’s solo sonatas are a lifelong climb toward an ever-rising summit. The pianist Spencer Myer provided interesting snapshots of his own ascent in a program of four Beethoven sonatas, Jan. 17 in St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Mr. Myer was the third in a series of seven recitalists traversing all 32 Beethoven sonatas, sponsored by the San Antonio International Piano Competition. He previously appeared in San Antonio on the Tuesday Musical Club series.
Snapshot from the foothills: Mr. Myer played respectfully and somewhat cautiously in the Sonata No. 10 in G, from Beethoven’s early period, still heavily influenced by Haydn. Even accounting for the work’s classicism, Mr. Myer took elegant understatement to excess; the performance was precise, clear and technically assured, but not very involving.
Snapshot from a little higher: The Sonata No. 21 in C, “Waldstein,” from the middle period, got a considerably larger performance, but some interpretive matters wanted more work. The slow tempo allowed the structure to sag in the middle movement, and odd voicings (possibly an artifact of the church’s Steinway) left some lines partly obscured in the finale.
Both items on the second half found Mr. Myer on the upper slopes of the mountain.
Understatement and respect for the score pervaded his account of the brief Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp, “A Thérèse,” but here (in contrast to the Sonata in G) the playing was lively and flexible, the music fully internalized.
Mr. Myer’s account of the Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, “Appassionata,” was the recital’s gem, balancing intelligence and instinct, control and freedom. He brought nervous energy, explosive fortissimos and a furious tempo to the opening allegro, but he never let the music seem chaotic. There was a little blurring here and there in the second allegro, but Mr. Myer’s precise rhythms and fully expressed dynamics were ample compensation. He tore fearlessly through the presto finale.
This was as effective an “Appassionata” as I’ve heard. It indicated a musician who knows where he’s going and how to get there.
On Jan. 15 in Christ Episcopal Church, the chamber group Musical Offerings offered Beethoven’s “Ghost” Trio and samples of music by five composers influenced by Beethoven. Jan Dussek, Johann Hummel, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms were each represented by a single movement from a larger work. It was particularly nice to hear selections from the seldom-played Dussek (the opening allegro from the Sonata in G for violin and piano) and Hummel (the rondo from the Piano Trio in G). Their music proved agreeable and enterprising, with some identifiably Beethovenian traits, though short of the master's bold originality. The performances were most notable for the crystalline, spirited and stylish playing of pianist Brent Watkins. His partners were violinist Joan Christenson and cellist Joshua Boulton.
Mike Greenberg
