Precision. Mastery.
Commanding. Romantic. Heavenly.
Going to a Fred Hersch concert is experiencing those things and
more. From seeing the way he approaches
the material and the instrument to the sound he gets when playing a diverse set
of repertoire, it was like experiencing an intense spiritual moment when coming
from a church service.
Fred
Hersch’s solo performance at the Enwave theatre began with a set of original
compositions that showcase his influences, his inspirations, and his great
sense of melodic and harmonic ideas that comes out of his writing and
playing. He started out the night with
his composition “Whirl”, which resembled a dancer whirling and twirling around
the stage in a graceful manner. “Whirl”
had echoes of Bach counterpoint in the writing and execution of the
performance, plus the performance had a lot of life and vibrancy as it carried
on. His classical influences continue
in pieces such as “At the Close of the Day” and “Pastoral”, which showcase the
poetic and lyrical side of Fred Hersch, which even channels the styling’s of
Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett when approaching the material. One of my favourites of the original
repertoire, “Dream of Monk”, showcase another influence, hence the title
referring to the great pianist/composer Thelonious Monk. It was a swinging and a spirited take that
fused elements of “Crepuscule with Nellie” and “Blue Bolivar Blues” yet it is a
work that is completely original and reflected the spirit of Monk at the same
time.
In
addition to the great original compositions showcased in his recital, Hersch
devoted the other set to interpretations and arrangements of standards and
cover material. Among the highlights
of his set was a spirited take on Cole Porter’s “You’re The Top”, a standard
that hasn’t been done to death and should be explored more by jazz musicians; a
slowed down ballad version of “The Song is You”, which shows off the beauty and
the hidden nuances of the standard to create a very captivating and arresting
performance that stirs the soul; and “Whisper Not” is a spirited, swinging take
on a bebop classic in which Hersch was able to find new explorations and new
melodic and harmonic possibilities within the standard.
Hersch’s
piano playing, compositions, and choice of repertoire shows that he is a very
captivating performer that provides an enriching experience for both himself
and the audience. He treats the
standards and cover materials with respect, and the original material could even
pass for classical music since it had the precision, technique and mastery that
comes from a classical composer. When
he plays, all of the influences and inspirations come out in one unified,
personal voice that does justice to the material at hand. Overall, I would say that Hersch’s solo
piano concert is one of the most captivating performances in the festival and I
hope he comes back again to repeat that magic to old and new fans alike.
OFFICIAL
FRED HERSCH WEB SITE
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