Giordano tribute mixes humor, classics
It’s a sign of the affection that the Fort Worth musical community has for John Giordano that Bass Hall had quite a large audience Tuesday night for a musical tribute in his honor.
Giordano has been associated with the Cliburn International Piano Competition for 42 years, including as jury chairman for 11 of the competitions (Nos. 3 through 14). He now holds the title of jury chairman emeritus. He also was music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for almost three decades.
One might have expected Tuesday night’s salute to Giordano, who was present with his family, to be a sentimental affair. But it was really a joyous tribute; humor blended in with serious classics. There were some brief remarks by Cliburn Chairman Carla Kemp Thompson and President Jacques Marquis, but otherwise it was all music.
Doing the musical honors were seven former Cliburn medalists: Haochen Zhang, Joyce Yang, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Jon Nakamatsu, Simone Pedroni, André-Michel Schub and Vladimir Viardo.
The tone was set by the opening number, Czerny’s fantasy on Rossini’s Barber of Seville. Zhang, Schub and Nakamatsu got some giggles from the audience when they strolled onstage and all sat at one piano. Their playing was straightforward, but Rossini’s humor shone through.
Another laugh-producer was Pedroni, who appeared in conventional concert dress except for one thing: a pair of brilliant red shoes. Yang, who followed, wore a dazzling green dress.
Pedroni further defied convention by playing music by Nino Rota. Yang’s three dances by Ginastera were also a bit offbeat.
A serious highlight was Nakamatsu’s performance of Chopin’s Fantasy-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, beautifully done.
So it went through the evening, with straight classics alternating with offbeat material, often involving more than one person at a time at the piano. An early deadline pushed me toward the door. I especially regretted missing Nakamatsu’s, Ioudenitch’s, Yang’s and Schub’s arrangement of the waltz from Gounod’s Faust for four pianists. That would have been a hoot.
This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 8:21 AM with the headline "Giordano tribute mixes humor, classics."