Pianist Daniel Adam Maltz

SUBDUED PIANISM IN RARE FORTEPIANO RECITAL IN THE RAVEN

A fortepiano recital is a rare thing indeed, and other than the frequent performances on the instrument by the splendid Berkeley-based artist Eric Zivian, one cannot think of a formal North Bay fortepiano event in decades.

Enter the enterprising folks at Healdsburg’s Raven Theater when they presented Austrian virtuoso Daniel Adam Maltz Feb. 12 in a concert that featured just two Sonatas each of Haydn and Mozart.

The pianist brought his own instrument, a replica of a 1792 piano that at 2.10 meters in length had a lovely light walnut case with five legs, and the artist in his lengthy stage remarks in perfect English said fortepiano lids should always be down. That’s news to me, and perhaps to the 125 people attending on Super Bowl Sunday and adjacent streets packed with tourists.

One hundred and twenty-five is an amazing turnout for this instrument and music, and Mr. Maltz made the most of the short and rarely played Haydn E Flat Major Sonata (Hob. XVI: 25) sans score, as it was throughout the afternoon.

Scale passages in this work were clear, needed as the small instrumental sound in the theater with no reverberation. The dynamic range was admittedly limited but effective in quiet passages, especially in the lovely pianissimos of the second movement with short batches of chords. The work was possibly written for harpsichord, as Haydn began composing keyboard works for piano in the early 1770s, and Mozart from 1785 on. The playing was idiomatic.

Mozart’s popular F Major Sonata (K. 332) followed, a work of subdued drama with Mr. Maltz’ lavish but tasteful ornaments in the Adagio. He used many short luftpauses for highlighting phrase entries. The Allegro assia was played with as much brilliance as the instrument held over 14 minutes. All repeats were played with a few romantic ritards and he slowed the pace at the end to give the work a finishing broad warmth.

Following intermission the audience, thankfully nicely quiet throughout, was greeted with fast lightweight scale playing of Haydn’s F Major Sonata (Hob. XVI:23) with the pianist choosing a fast tempo, leading to a delicious arpeggiated last chord. Playing in the Adagio has a lament character, but was also a bit operatic and had the best soft playing of the afternoon.

Haydn’s playful humor was in evidence in the last movement, motives jumping around that were alas sometimes blurred.

Mozart’s C Major K. 330 Sonata completed the program with tasty small right hand mordents and a welcome individual inner voice in the passagework. The middle movement was played extra slowly, perhaps to juxtapose the jauntiness of themusic’s splendid tunes and Mr. Maltz’ palpable concentration in demonstrating the interpretative capabilities of his 61-key instrument.

Applause was generous but no encore was offered.