Lorenzo Medel Solo Piano Recital 2013

Pianist Lorenzo Medel

Featuring:

Lorenzo Medel, piano

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:

Johann Sebastian Bach Prelude and Fugue No. 23 in B major, BWV 892

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 Appassionata

Nicanor Abelardo First Nocturne

Frédéric Chopin Étude in A minor, Op. 25, No. 11 Winterwind

Franz Liszt Grandes études de Paganini No. 6 in A minor Theme and Variations

Claude Debussy Préludes Book 2 No. 12 Feux d'artifice, L 123

Béla Bartók Two Romanian Folk Dances, Op. 8a

Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

I can still remember the time when I asked young pianist Lorenzo Medel when he would play a piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff which could be either the Rach 2 or 3. And he responded by saying that he wanted to but that he had to increase his hand span first. I guess that right after that, his hands have gotten bigger (he has also gotten a lot taller too) since I learned soon after that he would be playing the very popular Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 with the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

Fast forward some months later, that time finally came as Lorenzo “Enzo” Medel mounted his third solo piano recital at the Philam Life Auditorium. It had been about a year and a half since I saw him perform the Liszt Piano concerto at the same venue.

Enzo with the Manila Symphony Orchestra

Enzo, dressed in a sheer and glossy, black barong, began the night by playing Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No. 23 in B major, BWV 892 from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book II. I’ve always been honest that Bach’s music doesn’t get through me and that it’s really challenge for me since a lot of pianists start their performances with a Bach piece. I am just glad that the next piece, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 also known as the “Appassionata”, is a very familiar one. This section of the program got my brain right on track with Enzo performing this comfortably despite the tempestuous and violent nature of the piece which has been on his repertoire for quite some time now. Enzo then slowed things down with Nicanor Abelardo’s First Nocturne which was the calm before the storm considering the pieces the immediately followed.

Enzo then played virtuosic pieces one after the other: Frédéric Chopin’s Étude in A minor, Op. 25, No. 11 also known as the “Winterwind”, Franz Liszt’s Grandes études de Paganini No. 6 in A minor “Theme and Variations”, Claude Debussy’s Préludes Book 2 No. 12 “Feux d'artifice”, L 123 and Béla Bartók Two Romanian Folk Dances, Op. 8a. It seemed to me that these demanding pieces were just another walk in the park for Enzo. For people who were there just for the Rach 2 and thought that they had to sit out an hour of solo piano pieces before hearing the concerto, they were treated to a display of Enzo’s technical brilliance that only served to heighten the anticipation for the most awaited piece of the night.

For Enzo’s performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, he was accompanied by the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Arturo Molina. During this time, he has donned his signature blue barong. At the start of the piece, I immediately thought about the time when he mentioned increasing his hand span since I didn’t hear any arpeggiated chords at the opening. And it’s not only his wider hand span that I noticed but also his maturity as a pianist. When he played the Liszt concerto back in June 2011, he still seemed like a kid playing in a sandbox which was a concert grand piano. And during the Rach 2, he has grown a lot (literally and figuratively) and started to exhibit some dashes of sensitivity, finesse and depth.

I admit that the programme prepared for this evening was quite heavy with pieces designed to impress that they almost overwhelmed me. I really wanted another change of pace and Enzo somehow heard my plea when he played his encore, Chopin’s Étude in E minor, Op. 10, No. 3 Tristesse. Enzo did show a huge improvement during this concert but he is still far from being a complete pianist. Yes, he can pound those keys and do extremely fast and difficult passages with his eyes closed and probably not miss a beat, but he still has a long way to go in effectively communicating and playing more than just the notes in the music sheet. At 17 years old, he is still very young and I’ve always believed that maturity in music can only be achieved through time and life experiences. Speaking of experiences, Enzo will add more experience that can improve his performances as he prepares to fly over to the US for a series of auditions in music institutions there. I wish him all the best and may he get his desired results.

Lastly and on a lighter note, Enzo has considerably improved his walk entering the stage and the way he bows to the audience is rather peculiar and yet amusing.