NACHTMUSIK / KOTARO FUKUMA Piano Recital / Review

NACHTMUSIK

KOTARO FUKUMA Piano Recital

Victoria Concert Hall

Friday (24 March 2023)

 

It seems odd that Japanese pianist Kotaro Fukuma, 1st prizewinner of the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition, who concertises actively in Japan and Europe, has never performed in Singapore. Until now, so it is a case of better late than never. His recital, presented by C.Bechstein Concerts, was built around the theme of “Night”, a celebration of romance, mysteries and terrors associated with the dark hours.

Photo: Yong Junyi

 

Opening with the serene Bach-Siloti Aria in D major from Orchestral Suite No.3 (better known as the Air on G String), he coaxed a beautiful and luscious tone from the Bechstein 9-footer, an apt prelude for things to come. Fukuma’s own transcription of Mozart’s Serenade in G major (K.525), the familiar Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, was a special surprise. One never thought its string-based melodies and textures could translate so well on the piano.

Photo: Yong Junyi

 

This was no light-footed or prissy account associated with the period instrument movement, but one which relived full orchestral textures, where forte means forte, and outright virtuosity was a means to an end. The opening movement’s robustness was balanced by a Romanze of Rococo charm until  machinations of busy counterpoint took over. Fukuma made it sound so simple, a feat that was reprised in the mercurial finale’s free-wheeling dealings.

 

The Austro-German first half continued with Clara Schumann’s Notturno in G minor (Op.6 No.2), a Mendelssohnian song without words which occasionally strayed into Chopin territory (notably the Andante Spianato). Without a break, its lyrical beauty segued seamlessly into her husband Robert’s familiar Traumerei (Dreaming) from Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), its most natural companion. When reverie turns into tumultuous struggle was the lot of In der Nacht (In The Night) from Fantasiestucke (Fantasy Pieces) Op.12, a work of true Romantic angst filled with disquiet and smouldering tension. Also technically the most difficult of the set, Fukuma faced its thorny pages head on without flinching, and some release was found in the whimsical Traumes Wirren (Dreams Confusion), bringing the Schumann segment to a grandstanding close.

Photo: Yong Junyi

 

There were many children in the audience, but their silence throughout the recital spoke volumes of how Fukuma communicated to all kinds of listeners in his music-making. Their good behaviour was rewarded with Alfred Grünfeld’s Soiree de Vienne, a waltz fantasy built around the popular number from Johann Strauss the Younger’s Die Fledermaus. Its ubiquitous melody kept popping up in a playful game of counterpoint, the result proving a big hit with the audience.

 

The French-flavoured second half opened with three Nocturnes performed without a break. Two of Chopin’s most familiar showcased wide contrasts, the E flat major (Op.9 No.2) in a version augmented with ornamentations of filigreed finery, and the dark and stormy C minor (Op.48 No.1).  In the latter, gentility gave way to full-blooded passion, and no one could accuse Chopin of being soft or effete. What followed was a rarity, as Gabriel Fauré's piano music is not played enough in Singapore. His Nocturne No.5 in B flat major is a gem, which Fukuma polished to a fine sheen. Its melting lyricism contrasted with outpourings from the broken heart was a natural progression from Chopin. New rule: every conservatory piano student must learn a Fauré nocturne (pick any one of 13) for every Chopin nocturne played.

Photo: Yong Junyi

 

Debussy’s Clair de lune from Suite Bergamasque had to be included, its gentle evocation of twilight beautifully rendered, and it was a masterstroke to have its D flat major close flow directly into the C sharp-centred delicate right hand tremolo of Ravel’s Ondine from Gaspard de la nuit. These are essentially the same note on the keyboard, and aurally made perfect sense and synergy. Fukuma’s mastery of the music’s big sweeps and glissandi was awe-inspiring to say the least.

 

The stroke of midnight, with twelve tolls of the bell heralded Saint-Saens’s Danse Macabre in the rambunctious transcription by Franz Liszt. Frightful visions of dancing skeletons and the Devil’s evil laughter came alive in Fukuma’s hands, which even included a furious fugato of clattering bones, bringing the recital to a stirring conclusion. His encore had little to do with night, but who could resist Japanese composer Kozaburo Hirai’s Fantasy on Sakura Sakura? Erik Satie’s delightful valse-chanson Je Te Veux (I Want You) took on a new life in Fukuma’s elaborations, all tarted up and with everywhere to go. Kotaro Fukuma’s return to Singapore will be keenly anticipated.

 

Photo: Yong Junyi