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Chamber
SPLENDID ECHOES ACROSS THE BAY
by Abby Wasserman
Sunday, February 9, 2025
ETHEREAL DUO IN WEILL HALL RECITAL
by Pamela Hick Gailey
Thursday, February 6, 2025
ESPANA SEGURO AT SO CO PHIL'S JACKSON THEATER CONCERT
by Terry McNeill
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Choral and Vocal
MASTERFUL SINGING CLASS IN SCHROEDER HALL
by Pamela Hicks Gailey
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Recital
MUSICAL POT POURRI AT SPRING LAKE VILLAGE RECITAL
by Terry McNeill
Friday, January 31, 2025
CELLO AND CLARINET HIGHLIGHT TRIO NAVARRO'S CONCERT
by Ron Teplitz
Sunday, January 26, 2025
SONGS OF LOVE, IN A WARM TRIO
by Pamela Hicks Gailey
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Symphony
EARTHLY PLEASURES AT THE VALLEJO SYMPHONY
by Peter Lert
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Symphony
EARTHLY PLEASURES AT THE VALLEJO SYMPHONY
by Abby Wasserman
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Recital
TWO AND FOUR HANDS DELIGHT AT THE 222
by Nicki Bell
Sunday, January 19, 2025
CHAMBER REVIEW
Music at Oakmont / Saturday, June 8, 2024
Hans Boepple, piano

Pianist Hans Boepple June 8 at Oakmont

TWO BIG WORKS IN BOEPPLE'S MUSIC AT OAKMONT RECITAL

by Terry McNeill
Saturday, June 8, 2024

In his long career San Jose-based pianist Hans Boepple rarely travels to play formal recitals in the North Bay, but he arrived June 8 with a long and demanding program of just two works in Music at Oakmont’s Berger Auditorium.

Before the MAO’s largest audience of the season the artist tackled Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations and Chopin’s 24 preludes, Op. 28, playing without score throughout and at the end showing no visible fatigue from the heroic task.

The Preludes are a masterly kaleidoscope group that over 41 minutes Mr. Boepple played well but also with an interpretation that was mostly conventional. Despite tiny memory lapses, everything was in its place – a warm top end piano sound, mindful phrasing, deft control of pianissimo and judicious tempos. He was never in a hurry to get anywhere but the playing often lacked power, especially in the faster Preludes like the fuoco (No. 16, B Flat), the No. 10 in C Sharp and the tumultuous final defiant Prelude in D. Pianistic anger doesn’t seem to be part of Mr. Boepple’s current approach, and parts of this music need it.

Romantic touches and inner voices were mostly avoided, as in the graceful E Flat (No. 19) where ritards at the ending songful repeats were played right through, and the dreamy A Flat (No. 17) missed the inherent lyricism.

This often modest approach worked well in the famous “Raindrop” and Numbers Five and Six Preludes with his careful pedaling and expansive phrasing. In the “Raindrop” he doubled a left-and octave, an odd score deviation but it sounded just right.

This reviewer was unable to hear the entire Goldberg, played before intermission, but what was heard was straightforward, well thought out and effectively made compelling individuals of the 30 Variations. Many repeats were omitted. In the fleet variations there was no interest in mirroring Glen Gould’s speed and articulation, the playing more like the less strident and more colorful Schiff and Hewett versions. Contrapuntal voices were distinct.

Mr. Boepple played many variation endings with slight ritards and dimuendos, a captivating touch of scholarly and interpretative delight.

There was no encore following the Chopin, and though loud the applause in the entire recital was overly short and timid given Mr. Boepple’s artistic accomplishment and palpable joy in playing, especially in the Bach.