Nocturnal pleasures

Pianist Jian Liu “Nocturnes” - the choice of works as thoughtful and finely judged as the playing

In pianist Jian Liu’s programme “Nocturnes” he takes his audience on what he describes as a “journey” into a dark world full of mystery, magic and romantic splendours. The solo recital of 16 short works by as many composers is all about mood, atmosphere and the glories of piano sound. I enjoyed “Nocturnes” recently at the Public Trust Hall amongst Chamber Music New Zealand’s devoted Wellington audience, transported by this very accomplished pianist into an exploration of great musical variety.

The nocturnes and lullabies are paired to reveal their qualities and contrasts, beginning with a slow and considered performance of Gillian Whitehead’s gentle Lullaby for Matthew. It was paired with the melodious flowing simplicity of the 6th Nocturne, Cradle Song, by John Field, an Irishman credited with the first Romantic nocturne and an important influence on Chopin.  

Chopin himself wrote 21 of these miniatures for solo piano between 1827 and 1846 and in his Opus 15 No 2 in F# major that followed we could hear how he developed Field’s nocturne into a vehicle for a wide range of emotions.  It was paired with a contemporary Nocturne from New Zealander Leonie Holmes, a lovely work rich with night sounds inspired by Marnie Barrell’s poem beginning Midnight empress, feather-soft moth.

The handsomely refurbished Public Trust Hall is Wellington’s newest venue for chamber music and for this recital Jian Liu was placed in the centre of the long rectangular room in an attempt to better capture the intimate essence of Chopin’s salon. I remain a little disappointed by the flat acoustic but having everyone closer to the performer helped a lot. The lights were dimmed to semi-darkness and, though it was difficult to follow the printed programme and the order of the works, night-time themes were enhanced and attention focused on the beautiful sounds of the music.

In the sweet romanticism of Grieg’s Notturno, Jian Liu created luscious piano sonorities with decorative figures high in the instrument’s register. The pairing here was with four tiny quiet Nocturnes by little known 20th century Polish composer Alexandre Tansman who like Chopin lived in France. The contrast to the Respighi that followed was dramatic, the Italian composer painting pictures with virtuosic flourishes. American Lowell Liebermann (b.1961), like many of these composers a fine pianist, apparently wrote eleven Nocturnes; his 4th ended the first half of the programme in a slightly spooky manner with a grandiose thunderous climax.

Britten’s restless, mysterious Notturno opened the second half, paired with the more immediately appealing flow of Poulenc’s 1st Nocturne, played by Jian Liu with marvellous relaxation. The Schumanns were next, Clara’s wonderful focus on the expressive beauties of her instrument no less brilliant than her husband’s surging, unsettled and passionate outpourings in In der Nacht from his famous Fantasiestücke Opus 12.

In contrast to the romantic nature of the programme so far, “The Night’s Music” from Bartok’s Out of Doors set was a welcome contrast, full of the chirps, croaks and twitters of the nocturnal world found in some of his string quartets. A little folk melody tiptoed in, hinting at a distant midnight party, before a sultry, improvisatory Nocturne by American composer Norman dello Joio suggested a night-club party of a more urban flavour.

The final pairing of this very imaginatively curated programme combined Nocturnes by Barber and Liszt, the former’s short piece dedicated to Field and leavening 19th century sentiment with the atonality of the early 20th. Liszt’s virtuosic piece, all singing melodious voices, is from his well-know Liebesträume and was a fittingly splendid end to a remarkable and deeply satisfying recital, the choice of works as thoughtful and finely judged as the playing.

The audience demanded an encore and were more than pleased by Schumann’s Träumerei (Dreaming) from his Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood). With this clever sleight of hand Jian Liu took the evening back home to the innocent lullabies of the opening.

 NOCTURNES Jian Liu (piano) presented by Chamber Music New Zealand

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