When famed American pianist Garrick Ohlsson performs in Spaulding Auditorium, Dartmouth will have the opportunity to hear the man whom The New Yorker called "a genuine giant of the keyboard."
For the literal-minded, Ohlsson the giant stands over six feet tall. At most concerts, he plays a piano to match, the Austrian Bsendorfer Imperial Grand, a model that has nine more keys than standard pianos and measures a full half-foot longer than a Steinway Model D Concert Grand.
The piano choice doesn't betray any purposeful eccentricity on Ohlsson's part, though -- it's a sign of his intense dedication to the proper execution of his music. Ohlsson was content to be a Steinway Artist (as are the overwhelming majority of concert pianists) until a New York Times interviewer wrote in 1972 that Ohlsson had declared his Bsendorfer the "Rolls-Royce of pianos." (He had, but indirectly in reference to the companies' manufacturing methods.)
Steinway was predictably displeased and revoked Ohlsson's Steinway Artist privileges. So Ohlsson eventually became a Bsendorfer artist, although his contract stipulates that he can play any instrument he wishes without retribution.
And he can play practically any piece he desires, also, drawing from a giant repertoire. He plays Baroque music with astonishing intelligence and technical skill -- James Oestreich, a New York Times music reviewer, said Ohlsson's performance of Bach's "Goldberg Variations" was reminiscent of the late Glenn Gould's legendary recording of that score.
His talent is eclectic, for his repertoire extends chronologically from the Baroque to the twentieth century, including Copland and Barber. But his career in recent years has been highlighted by interpretations of two composers in particular, Liszt and Chopin. Since the mid-'90s, many of his programs have been Liszt-centric as he explored that composer's impact on art -- "So critical was Liszt's influence," wrote Ohlsson, "that it is difficult to imagine Western music in its present shape without him."
The New York Times agreed with Ohlsson, saying that the premiere of his Liszt series "worked beautifully[his] masterly performance could be appreciated on purely pianistic terms, or rather, purely musical terms, without regard to instrument." The review praised Ohlsson's renditions of the Bach Fantasy and Fugue in G minor (as transcribed by Liszt) and the Liszt Sonata in B minor, both of which he will perform for the Spaulding audience tonight.
Ohlsson is perhaps better known for his performances of Chopin in the past decade. In 1998, he released Volume 10 in a recording of the complete Chopin solo works for piano, a cycle rarely completed among concert pianists. The Boston Globe said that Ohlsson's Chopin collection "is certainly the strongest recorded to date, and this latest set of the etudes is one of the greatest recordings of these pieces ever made."
While tonight's program won't include the etudes, it should be equally enjoyable. The second portion of the night will begin with the Waltz in E-flat Major, Op. 46; followed by three waltzes from Chopin's Op. 64; Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1 and Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31.
Ohlsson's goal is to broaden the popular range of Chopin works. "The trouble with Chopin," he said in an interview with The New Yorker, "is that he has been so celebrated but so little explored. Even serious music lovers have the impression that they know his oeuvre pretty thoroughly, when, in fact, a rather limited portion of it ever shows up in concert programs."
An anecdote from Ohlsson's 1995 concert tour reveals his dedication to and love of the music he performs. After a strike in France forced the cancellation of his Paris appearance, he went to London to rehearse for his Amsterdam concert.
On the day of the Amsterdam concert, dense fog delayed the departure of his plane, but he arrived with time to spare. The orchestra's plane, however, had gotten fogged in. Knowing the evening's concert was sold out, Ohlsson improvised a recital schedule and played solo for a jubilant and appreciative crowd.
"You always have one advantage when you're saving the day," Ohlsson told The New York Times, "You're a kind of a hero. People think terribly well of you just for being willing to try."
Ohlsson will "try," undoubtedly with great success, tonight in Spaulding Auditorium at 8:00 p.m.
