Piano Recital Tetiana Shafran — Zurich, 2022-10-22

Tetiana Shafran
Beethoven / Ravel / Liszt / Liszt/Paganini

Alte Kantonsschule, Zurich, 2022-10-22

2022-10-29 — Original posting

Bewegende, höchst eindrückliche Begegnung mit der Ukrainischen Pianistin Tetiana Shafran— Zusammenfassung

Die 1989 in Kiev geborene Pianistin Tetiana Shafran (Тетяна Шафран) hat auf einer Vielzahl von Wettbewerben Erfolge gefeiert. Dennoch ist sie in Teilen Westeuropas noch ein weitgehend “unbeschriebenes Blatt”. In diesem Rezital in der Aula der Alten Kantonsschule Zürich bestätigte sie, was Insider aufgrund vereinzelter Auftritte bereits wussten: sie ist ein Ausnahmetalent mit höchster Musikalität und überragenden technischen Mitteln.

Ihr Rezital führte von der Sonata Nr.2 in A-dur, op.2/2 von Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) zur Sonatine, M.40 von Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937). Nach der Pause folgte ein Höhepunkt dem anderen: zwei Werke von Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849): das selten gespielte Rondo in Es-dur, op.16 (B.76, CT 195), sowie das tief empfundene Nocturne Nr.17 in H-dur, op.62/1 (CT 124). Das offizielle Programm schloss mit zwei Werken von Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886): die virtuos-dramatische Ballade Nr.2 in h-moll, S.171, sowie aus den 6 Grandes Études de Paganini die bekannte Étude Nr.3 in gis-moll, “La Campanella”, S.141/3. Den Abschluss machte eine Zugabe des ukrainischen Komponsisten Mykola Lysenko (1842 – 1912): aus den Trois Pièces d’Album d’été, op.41 die Nr.3, Élégie.

Introduction
Concert & Review

Introduction

Venue, Date & Time	Aula of the Alte Kantonsschule Zürich, 2022-10-22 11:30h
Series / Title	Musik an ETHZ und UZH — Matinee: Piano Recital Tetiana Shafran
Organizer	Musical Discovery
Reviews from related events	Concerts organized by Musical Discovery Previous recitals at the Alte Kantonsschule Zürich

Tetiana Shafran (Тетяна Шафран), Ukraine

The Ukrainian pianist Tetiana Shafran is very much underrated in Western Europe, I believe. Born 1989 in Kyiv / Kiev, she started playing piano at age 3. She graduated in her hometown, at Kyiv’s Lysenko Special Music School, and at the Kyiv Conservatory, known as Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine. Her main teachers were Boris Arkhimovich and Andriy Vasin (up till 2012), and 2013 – 2021, she studied with Oxana Yablonskaya (*1938, Spain and Israel).

To this day, Tetiana Shafran has collected over 25 prizes at national and international competitions, and she has performed at prestigious concert halls / venues throughout Europe, North and South America, Africa, Australia, and Asia (see the artist’s Web biography, as well as Vida Art Management).

Tetiana Shafran @ Alte Kantonsschule, Zurich, 2022-10-22 (© Rolf Kyburz, Uster)

Program

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827): Piano Sonata No.2 in A major, op.2/2
Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937): Sonatine, M.40
(Intermission)
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849): Rondo in E♭ major, op.16, B.76, CT 195
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849): Nocturne No.17 in B major, op.62/1, CT 124
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886): Ballade No.2 in B minor, S.171
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886): 6 Grandes Études de Paganini — Étude No.3 G♯ minor, “La Campanella“, S.141/3
- Encore — Mykola Lysenko (1842 – 1912): Trois Pièces d’Album d’été, op.41 — 3. Élégie

Setting, etc.

Considering the outcome of the recital (see below), it felt rather disappointing to see that audience filled less than half of the venue, which has a capacity of around 100 people. However, lunch time events typically attract fewer people than “prime time concerts”. I took a seat near the center of the seating area, a corridor seat in the right-hand side block.

The piano was the small size Yamaha grand that the Institution (Zurich University) placed in this venue.

Concert & Review

A Preamble

First, a confession of sorts: I set myself the firm rule to write about all concerts that I’m attending (exceptions only with local / private events). However, recently, I realized that there are instances where I really meant to attend a concert, but did not see a chance to write a review in reasonable time. Usually, this implies that I will skip a concert. A few months ago, I found myself breaking that rule, when I attended a presentation of four young pianists, back on 2022-05-07. That event had been organized by the same agency (Musical Discovery), in the very same venue (Alte Kantonsschule Zürich).

The concert on 2022-05-07 was a highly interesting and rewarding experience, as from one pianist to the next, the level of the performance was rapidly growing from good to excellent. It reached an undisputable climax with the last artist, Tetiana Shafran, who was presenting Chopin’s op.16 (see below), as well as the highly virtuosic last movement, “Scarbo“, from “Gaspard de la nuit“, M.55, by Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937). Tetiana Shafran’s performance was so fabulous that I could not possibly miss this latest recital, almost half a year later.

A Missed Review Opportunity?

The decision not to review the concert in May was made beforehand. I did not take notes, hence can’t produce a review in the aftermath. Actually, it wasn’t just time constraints that led to that decision. Rather it was the experience from yet another similar event, back in 2019, also with four pianists, which I did review.

In such “multi-recitals”, the performance level will invariably vary between the artists. In “proper” solo recitals, my rating may be anything between mid-level to high. An artist may or may not explain such rating with the circumstances, the attention and mood of the reviewer, and the like. In “multi-recitals”, however, artists receiving lower ratings than others may view this as unfair setback relative to their contenders. They may feel that the rating does not reflect their serious efforts.

In the instance that I’m referring to, the artist contacted me, complaining about the rating. Luckily, I was able to resolve that issue in a friendly manner, the “affair” is now resolved in good terms. Still, I decided to avoid such “competitive” recitals, where I see a danger of upsetting an artist.

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.2 in A major, op.2/2

Composer & Work

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) published his Piano Sonata No.2 in A major, op.2/2 in 1796, with a dedication to Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809).

Allegro vivace
Largo appassionato
Scherzo: Allegretto
Rondo: Grazioso

I have written about performances (2019 & 2020) of this sonata in earlier reviews.

The Performance

One might call it perfect understatement—only that it probably wasn’t the artist’s conscious decision: how Tetiana Shafran entered the hall and walked towards the instrument. Cautious, seemingly shy, maybe insecure, as if she was slightly embarrassed. She greeted the audience with a brief bow, then sat down at the instrument, considerate and careful, making sure her position was “right”. Even her reaching into the keyboard was considerate, reflected, not impulsive.

From then on, she kept all her focus on the instrument, on the keys even, rarely raising her eyes for a glimpse into the instrument. Tetiana Shafran was never seeking eye contact with the audience while playing—a resting pole amidst all the music that emerged from the instrument. More on this below.

I. Allegro vivace

A movement for the listener to get to know the artist—and conversely, for the artist, to “settle in the venue”, to establish mental / emotional contact with the audience. An excellent interpretation—though at this point, I wasn’t overwhelmed just yet (was I perhaps overly critical at the opening of the recital?).

I noted the natural tempo (neither slow nor aggressive), the harmonious, rounded articulation. And particularly the highly differentiated, “speaking” dynamics (e.g., the subtle differentiation between the two hands, the voices), the impressive sonority in the ff. Did the interpretation perhaps make the movement “bigger”, more powerful than the composer could have envisaged on the instruments of his time?

One detail that caught my attention was, that the artist took the second theme (bars 58ff) at a slightly (but notably) faster pace. She did the same in the recap section, in bars 277ff. Tetiana Shafran returned to the original pace at the ff in bars 84ff, slowing further down for the closing of the exposition, which she interpreted implicit fermata. The repeat of the exposition was omitted.
★★★½

II. Largo appassionato

I may have been critical about the first movement. However, the interpretation of the Largo appassionato was definitely marvelous, masterful! Calm, pensive, reflected, highly differentiated and subtle in dynamics and agogics: those little ritenuti / hesitations ahead of an accent / key note or chord! So intense, full of expression, memories, emotion—beautiful and touching!

Interestingly, as in the first movement, the second theme (p at bars 19ff) again felt lighter, a tad more fluid. Conversely, the modulation in bar 26 appeared to make the music feel earnest, serious, even pondering, up to the climax prior to the return of the initial theme in bar 32.
★★★★★

III. Scherzo: Allegretto

Light, agile up to the repeat sign, with excellent touch control. The starting motifs (descant upbeats to bars 1 and 5) in repeat of the first part appeared f, as exclamations / signals, more intense. A striking feature was the slightly extended two-quarter general rest after the ff in bar 17: an intentionally frightful split second! And no, this was not a memory lapse, of course: Tetiana Shafran did it again in the Da capo instance.

Another interesting feature in the interpretation was the subtle acceleration in the descending (repeated) first part of the Minore part.
★★★★★

IV. Rondo: Grazioso

Light-handed, but again with very rich and detailed dynamics, such as sudden crescendo / decrescendo arcs. I felt a slight tendency to over-dramatize (my only quibble here). One example is the bass motif in bar 12, which started almost ff (above the second quaver, Beethoven noted pp). Also in the (definitely dramatic) staccato sempre episode (bars 57ff), the dynamics remained exceptionally lively, detailed and expressive.

As in the first movement, I sensed a tendency to make the piece “bigger” than what the composer could have had in mind (considering a historic fortepiano!). It’s one of Beethoven’s early sonatas, after all.
★★★★½

Overall Rating: ★★★★½

Maurice Ravel, by Véronique Fournier-Pouyet — Maurice Ravel