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Schubert and Brahms: Daniel Barenboim (piano), James Levine (piano), Lisette Oropesa (soprano), Sasha Cooke (mezzo-soprano), Matthew Plenk (tenor), Shenyang (bass-baritone), MET Chamber Ensemble, Weill Recital Hall, New York City, 23.11.2008 (BH)

Schubert: Sonata in C Major for Piano Four Hands, "Grand Duo," Op. 140 (D. 812) (1824)
Brahms: Liebeslieder-Walzer for Four Voices and Piano Duet, Op. 52 (1869)
Brahms: Neue Liebeslieder, Op. 65 (1874)


Even with just two people at pianos, a friend of mine was prompted to remark, "A lot of talent on that stage."  Of course, if the two people are Daniel Barenboim and James Levine, they do bear multiple gifts.  The occasion was the second MET Chamber Ensemble concert in a month, and here these two powerhouses were offering Schubert's Sonata in C major for Piano Four Hands, the "Grand Duo."  In four movements, the sonata is symphonic in scale (and about 40 minutes long), and although popular with duo-pianists, the program notes an odd factoid: the piece didn't even receive a Carnegie Hall performance until 1967, almost 150 years after its completion.

Both strong performers, Barenboim seemed to have the slight upper hand in volume and attack, but Levine may have been more accurate.  A ringing opening Allegro moderato gave no warning about the Andante that followed it.  The Scherzo was taken infernally fast, yet energy and drama were judiciously saved for the final Allegro vivace.  Climax upon climax piled up, each time outdoing the one before.  There was much to enjoy in the collaboration between these two legends; just seeing them onstage together was almost stimulation enough.

After the break and still at the pianos, both maestros provided adroit accompaniment for an excellent quartet of singers in the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, in Brahms's Liebeslieder Walzer (Op. 52) and Neue Liebeslieder (Op. 65).  Brahms wrote the first set with home performance in mind, and drew primarily upon folk poetry translated by G. F. Daumer, with the sole exception of the finale of the second set, with text by Goethe.  The engaging textures alternate between songs for all four singers with duets for just the two men or women, and the occasional solo turn.

Making the strongest impression was Sasha Cooke, fresh from playing Kitty Oppenheimer in John Adams's Doctor Atomic, and it was a pleasure adding Brahms to create a broader impression of her talents.  Tenor Matthew Plenk, who sang Schumann duets with the MET Chamber Ensemble two weeks earlier, has an appealing instrument with more power than his slender stature might indicate.  Rounding out the quartet were soprano Lisette Oropesa, sunny in "Wohl schön bewandt" ("How happy once") and bass-baritone Shenyang, especially effective in "Ihr schwarzen Augen" ("Your black eyes").  The quartet saved some of their best work until the very end, when they combined in elegant quietude for "Zum Schluss" ("Conclusion") with its gentle advice:

You cannot heal the wounds
Inflicted by love;
But relief comes only,
Kind ones, from you.

Bruce Hodges


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