The celebrated British pianist Paul Lewis performed a recital in Zipper Hall at the Colburn School on a calm Sunday afternoon before the rainstorm that was headed toward LA. The program began with the Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major K. 330 and concluded with the Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Minor, K. 457 by Mozart. Sandwiched in between were selections from Improvisations by the French composer Francis Poulenc and the L’isle Joyeuse (Joyous Island) by Claude Debussy.
The two Mozart sonatas could not be more different. The C major sonata is light and thoroughly classical. Most of the sonata is scored within a short range of keys with only very rare forays into low bass notes. Lewis’ playing was sparkling and true to Mozart’s classical form.
The C minor sonata, on the other hand, is longer and covers a greater range on the keyboard; the overall harmonic structure is more Beethovian, including the key of C minor. Mozart starts the first movement with a forte in the ascending octaves and then marks piano in the right-hand answer. Lewis kept the dynamics in a fairly narrow range, which was obviously a choice, but the contrasts between the forte and piano measures weren’t as distinctive as they might have been. Otherwise, it was a powerful performance with a dreamy adagio in between the two allegro movements.
It was a special treat to hear (the first time for this reviewer) some selections from the Improvisations by Poulenc. These short classically inspired pieces (one of which was an homage to Schubert), composed between 1932 and 1959, show both the playful and the serious sides of Poulenc and give the performer a lot of leeway for interpretation. Lewis played them masterfully, taking the audience on a satisfying ride across a varied terrain from lighthearted to melancholy.
After the Improvisation No. 12 (“Homage to Schubert”), Lewis moved seamlessly into the last piece of the first half, Debussy’s L’isle Joyeuse. Lewis really let the stops out on this piece and took the audience on a thrill ride with almost nonstop 16th-note swirls. There was no holding back on the fortes or fortissimos on this one. Lewis’ joyful L’isle Joyeuse brought the joyous crowd to its feet.
It was great to hear a pianist of Lewis’ caliber in the small, intimate Zipper Hall at the Colburn School. These recitals by acclaimed instrumentalists should not be missed.
—Henry Schlinger, Culture Spot LA
For information about upcoming events at the Colburn School, visit https://colburnschool.edu/calendar/.
Photo credit: Paul Lewis / Photo courtesy of the Colburn School