Pianist Antonio Iturrioz

GODOWSKY TRANSCRIPTIONS HIGHLIGHT SEBASTOPOL ARTS CENTER RECITAL

Guerneville pianist Antonio Iturrioz exhibited masterful playing Feb. 19 in a Sebastopol Center for the Arts recital. The venue with 100 in attendance was small, as was the marginal piano, but Mr. Iturrioz’ control of phrasing and attention to detail was formidable.

He began melodiously with a Schumann Romance, OP. 28, No. 2, making it sound so simple, and then performed the Godowsky arrangement of Schumann’s “A Flower to Me Thou Seemest.” It was clearly more Schumann than Godowsky.

Chopin’s Etude in A Flat, Op. 25, No. 1 (Aeolian Harp) was shimmering and sparkling, everything smooth. It was the best live performance of the work that I have heard since 1954 when I got my hand slapped for turning the page a bit early for the performer who was my teacher. Liszt’s popular Consolation No. 3was a good demonstration the Liszt was not all splash and show. It was presented as a mellow, melodic and dreamy inspirational work.

The last piece before the intermission was “Symphonic Metamorphoses on the Artist’s Life Waltzes” of Johann Strauss, arranged by Godowsky, and a test of pianistic prowess. It is exceptionally difficult, and few many pianists attempt it, but it is a staple of Mr. Iturrioz’s repertoire, and he keeps its musicality without meretricious display.

Regarding the performance of Liszt's 2nd Legend (St. Francis Walking on the Waves) one could paraphrase the putative comments in the movie "Amadeus" where Emperor Nicholas II says there were too many notes. Here for Mr. Iturrioz there were many but not too many, and the pianist made the most of them, His range of expression from rippling brook sounds to the roar of torrential cascades was breath taking.

Scriabin’s Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9, was so well done that it was difficult to realize that I was listening to a single hand doing all that work.

The program’s next work, the Schumann Kinderszenen (Op. 15) is also demanding for the performer, but in a far different way than other works on the program. It is not a virtuosic show piece but 13small sections require quick changes in mood in style, and Mr. Iturrioz did each elegantly.

The final item on the program was A Flat Polonaise Fantasie, Op. 61, of Chopin. The work was Chopin’s last large scale work for the piano, composed in 1846, and must have been raised a few eyebrows when introduced. Mr. Iturrioz’ performance made it clear that Chopin was, as Liszt said, taking music in a new direction.

Two encores were offered, Lecuona’s “Noche Azul” and Gottschalk's El Cocole.