This year the Utzon Room at Sydney Opera House has hosted a really wonderful selection of performers for smaller, more intimate concerts. The Utzon Room faces East looking out through floor to ceiling windows over Sydney Harbour, past Woolloomooloo Bay towards the lighthouse at Vaucluse. Occasionally you’ll see a large Australian or American naval ship docked at Woolloomooloo. Ferries, party boats, enormous cruise ships chaperoned by tug boats and the occasional old sailing boat might pass by the windows causing a gentle distraction. The water and sky can take on a never ending variety of hues each time you visit. With a glass of wine in hand and a comfortable seat, it’s a very elegant way to get up close and personal with some of the best musical performers passing through Sydney, both local and international. On sunny days the glare casts the performers set against the windows in silhouette.
The final concert in the 2022 series featured American pianist Jonathan Biss. A performer in his 40s, the silhouette he cut against the windows was of long, lanky limbs, matching long slim fingers and flexible back. Sometimes his back curled over the keyboard as if searching for ever deeper expression within the instrument, other times arched with head thrown back in the ecstasy of the music.
He quietly approached the stage accompanied by polite applause, took a bow, settled on the stool and seemed to merge with the piano. He has a special communication with the instrument. Other artists may have played just as long and even have more credentials but tend to use the piano as a tool. Biss, on the other hand, becomes a part of it which is rare indeed.
The program opened with a relatively contemporary piece, Piano Sonata Opus 1 by Austrian composer Alban Berg published in 1910. The original intention was to write a traditional multi-movement work though he was lost for ideas on how to continue after the first movement. Berg turned to Schoenberg for advice who felt that, actually, he had said all there was to say and so the single movement was published on its own. Based on twelve tone technique in the odd key of B minor, it might be played as a rather aimless, free flowing channel of ideas but Biss completely understood the work and his interpretation added so much more emotion and life to the notes. It was very well received.
Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana completed the first half of the concert, heading back to a more pure example of Romantic era music. Not completely traditional though, Schumann wrote this 8 movement work apparently in just 4 days. Based on a fictional character by Hoffman is the wild conductor Kreisler whose emotions swing up and down, in and out like a roller coaster. Biss, once again made full use of the material to add more life and stretch the tempi; amplifying all the colour and richness of emotions from pure bliss, dropping to deep diving depression then bouncing back out of the hole with mischievous playfulness.
We could hear him breathing his way through the music, lifting up like a gentle awakening and other times really packing a punch when he needed to make a statement. It was absorbing and kept the audience focused throughout.
The second half was a major piece by Schubert, his final Sonata D 960. Biss is clearly very familiar with the piece and so was able to really stretch his interpretation rather than trying to remember the material. Caught up in the moment he doesn’t appear to perform for the audience. Rather he performs for the pure joy of playing, sometimes breathing the phrases, sometimes mouthing silent words to himself and we get the privilege of witnessing the creation of music in the making.
The Schubert is a long piece – around 45 minutes in all. I was wondering if this would be too much for a small chamber audience. About 3/4 of the way through there was an interruption with an audience member who took ill. The music stopped until all was settled again, then he simply mentioned he would back up a bit, once again merged with the piano and continued to the end. Although unexpected, this mini-break seemed to refresh the audience, sharpening their focus through to the end. He received wonderful applause and a standing ovation to complete the afternoon performance.
In addition to Biss teaching, writing and performing, he has succeeded in grasping technology to grow his following. Along with traditional live concerts, festival director roles and recorded albums; his work also includes ebooks, audio books plus online training including a course on Beethoven which attracted over 150,000 students around the world. We might label him “cool” enough to have even performed for the Tiny Desk Concert for NPR channel on YouTube. Go take a look and if you like what you see, consider buying one of his albums. He is a unique musician who would make a lovely addition to your recording collection.
Special thanks to the Sydney Opera House team for putting together such a wonderful series for the Utzon Room. We can look forward to more great afternoons facing the water in 2023.
Watch out for next year’s Utzon Room series: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
Jonathan Biss albums for sale : https://www.jonathanbiss.com/store
Program
Sonata op. 1 – BERG
Kreisleriana – SCHUMANN
Sonata in B flat Major, D 960 – SCHUBERT
This review was written by Annabelle Drumm and was of Jonathan Biss’ concert which took place on the 30th October, 2022 at the Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House.
Featured image : Jonathan Biss Pic Cassandra Hannagan-