Pianist Einav Yarden

DEMANDING SCHUMANN WORK IN MUSIC AT OAKMONT RECITAL

Piano recitals seem to be rare events around here, with only Gustavo Romero’s Spring Lake Village concert in October the exception. There are no formal piano recitals this season in Weill or Schroeder Halls, SRJC’s Newman, Mendocino College or the College of Marin or the Marin Center. So it was refreshing to hear Einav Yarden in her sixth local appearance in the Music at Oakmont series Nov. 9 in Berger Auditorium.

Before 60 people she opened with two Hayden works, the popular F Minor Variations and the fine D Major Sonata, XVI, 24, and a CPE Bach Arioso with Variations and the C Minor Rondo, Wg. 59/4. The pianist spoke passionately from the stage for seven minutes detailing the importance of CPE Bach and his influence on Mozart and Haydn.

The Bach works were idiomatically played, frequently in short thematic snippets, and featured the artist’s rapid-fire scales and rolling arpeggios. The Aria’s five variations unfolded over eight minutes and sounded playful with the pianist’s elegant phrasing and focus on small details in the score.

In the Haydn Sonata fleet scale playing was again in evidence, making this deceptively simple work sparkle, the opening Allegro’s tempo brisk and the following Adagio light and almost frothy. The popular Variations received a reading of some brilliance with accurate hand crossings, off-beat accents and emphasis of each of the two themes. It was an afternoon highlight.

Following intermission Ms. Yarden eschewed audience favorites of early Schumann (Carnaval, Abegg Variations, Papillons, Davidsbündlertänze – the last played here in the past by Ms. Yarden) and performed the eight untitled sections of the Op. 16 Kreisleriana, written in 1838. Tempos throughout were moderate but also convincing, and there were surprises along the 35-minute journey – big ritards in the B Flat Sehr innig und Nicht, solid octave playing and fluid legato. The artist took all the many repeats (all?) and at times clarity was lost with too ample damper pedal.

Several repeats in the two Intermezzos were played differently, a good thing, and the tempestuous Allegro Molto Agitato (section 3) had pianistic energy with some pedal point. Playing in the Adagio was lovely with the needed differing sonority of cantilena.

All through the sections Ms. Yarden had impressive tonal control, a challenge with the jumpy rhythms and contrasting themes that seem to continuously emerge. Aggressive playing was present everywhere in this work to the final Schnell und Spielend. Here the initial light soft sound was stripped away by a resoundingly loud climax and followed by sensitive playing that ended in a single quiet bottom G note.

Audience applause was moderate, and Ms. Yarden offered a single Bach romance encore.