Benjamin Hochman | Pianist

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Saturday, January 14, was a most unusual day. I was able to attend two outstanding concerts: the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra with Benjamin Hochman, piano, and the Peak Performances Chamber Series. It was also unusual when I considered how many truly remarkable performances I have been able to attend this concert season. I don’t recall any particular year where there have been so many fine performances by so many fine organizations.

The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra concert was simply beyond compare from at least two standpoints: 1) the programming was absolutely brilliant: Satie, Hanson, Ravel, and Gershwin. 2) The performance itself, the ability of the orchestra, and the brilliant performance of Benjamin Hochman, were magnificent.

The Boulder Phil began their program with two of the Gymnopédies, Nr. 1 and Nr. 3, by the French composer, Eric Satie (1866-1925). Eric Satie was born into a good family, but in spite of his wealth, he embraced poverty as the price of admission into artistic freedom. There is a wonderful portrait of Satie which was painted in 1891 by Santiago Rusiñol. It shows the young composer in his apartment in the Montmartre section of Paris, sitting before his fireplace, lost in thought. To me, it seems to show his loneliness, in spite of his friendship with so many artists, and especially that of Claude Debussy. In fact, it was Debussy who orchestrated the two Gymnopédies performed on the evening’s program, and he did so with the full approval of Eric Satie. However, many of his friends described Satie as being rather odd, and even inaccessible. As stated in the program notes, this oddness of personality was manifested by the directions that he would give in his scores, for example, “like a nightingale with a toothache.” That may seem unusual to us today, but isn’t it only a tiny bit more extreme than Robert Schumann’s instructions for the performer known as “eye music,” where he wrote accents over a series of tied notes, or wrote, “The sound of the carnival fades into the distance?”

The Boulder Philharmonic performed Satie’s two Gymnopédies beautifully. Maestro Butterman certainly allowed the music to express itself in its simplicity and remarkable melodic lines. It was limpid and fluid and it also demonstrated Debussy’s skill at orchestration. It reflected Satie’s adherence to the aesthetics of Les Six, the group of French composers who aspired to more “simple” music when compared to that of Richard Wagner.

The second work on the program was by the American composer Howard Hanson (1896-1981). Hanson was born in Wahoo, Nebraska of Nordic parents, and never really absorbed the American-influenced sounds that typified other American composers of the 20th century. In fact, he often admitted that he was strongly affected by the music of Sibelius. After obtaining a degree from Northwestern University in 1916, he became the first American composer to win the Prix de Rome, which gave him the opportunity to study with the Italian composer, Ottorino Respighi. When he returned to the United States, he was appointed head of the Eastman School of Music, which he had helped found.

Hanson’s Symphony Nr. 2, is without a doubt, Hanson’s best known work. There is no question that in this work, there is much influence, as Hanson himself admitted, from the Fifth Symphony by Jean Sibelius. It contains a great deal of dramatic tension and orchestral weight. In addition, this symphony is, as the program notes point out, cyclical. The same theme occurs in each of the symphony’s movements, and this adds to the remarkable accessibility of this work, aside from the incredible lyricism with its long and arching shapes.

The opening of this work is really quite dark in mood, and there is enough dissonance, that one has the feeling of listening to something that is both new and old. The woodwind section throughout this entire work was absolutely excellent, but I must say that as Butterman swept the first movement along on its path, it was very clear that there is not one weak section in this entire orchestra. The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestras is so successful because they are so well-balanced in ability. This was the second concert I had heard on this day, and it almost seems miraculous that both performances, one a chamber group and the other a full orchestra, were so well conceived and shaped. There is much brass work in all three movements of the Symphony, but in the second movement, they were exceptional. Maestro Butterman was very committed to achieving the rich and full sound that Hanson demands from the orchestra. Before the performance of this work began, Butterman said that in some respects, this Symphony was similar to a movie theme waiting for the movie to come along, and compared it to the writing of John Williams, who has written so many movie scores. While I can certainly understand Maestro Butterman’s point, I do think that Howard Hanson is a better musician and composer, and I assure you, I do not wish to take anything away from John Williams’ ability.

The third movement of this symphony seems to have a few references to Stravinsky in it, with its ostinato and strong percussion. The lush melody, which makes this symphony cyclical, returns and ends the symphony by refreshing everyone’s ear. The string section, the cellos in particular, were most noticeable in their warm tone and provided a genuine sense of reconciliation at the end of the work. The performance of Howard Hanson’s Symphony Nr. 2 on this program was a genuine surprise, and provided a wonderful contrast with the other works on the program. Hanson may not be ensconced on Mount Parnassus at the same level as Beethoven or Mahler or Bruckner, but he is a composer that deserves a position there, and also deserves to be heard on a more regular basis.

After the intermission, the pianist, Benjamin Hochman, joined the orchestra and performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major.

I will quote from the bio statement on his website:

“Born in Jerusalem, Benjamin Hochman began his studies with Esther Narkiss at the Conservatory of the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem and Emanuel Krasovsky in Tel Aviv. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Mannes College of Music where his principal teachers were Claude Frank and Richard Goode. Mr. Hochman’s studies were supported by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and he is an Associate Professor of Piano at East Carolina University. Benjamin Hochman is a Steinway Artist and lives in New York City with his wife, violinist Jennifer Koh.

“Winner of 2011’s prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Pianist Benjamin Hochman has achieved widespread acclaim for his effortless and thoughtful performances as an accomplished orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. After his successful recital debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he became a strong musical presence in New York through his concerts with the New York Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra, his Carnegie Hall debut with the Israel Philharmonic and appearances at the 92nd Street Y. Mr. Hochman has performed with the Chicago, Pittsburgh, American, Cincinnati. Houston Symphony and Istanbul State Orchestras, the Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, New Jersey and Portland Symphonies, the New York String Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada under eminent conductors such as Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Leon Botstein, Nir Kabaretti, Jaime Laredo, Jun Märkl, Daniel Meyer, Arthur Post, Lucas Richman, Bramwell Tovey, Kaspar Zehnder and Pinchas Zukerman. He has appeared in his native Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Tel Aviv Soloists, the Raanana and Jerusalem Symphonies, and has joined conductor Pinchas Zukerman and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a Mozart Piano Concerto project with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

“Past festival highlights include Ravinia, Caramoor, Marlboro, Santa Fe, Bard, Bridgehampton, Gilmore, Vail, An Appalachian Summer and Vancouver in North America, as well as international festivals such as Lucerne, Spoleto, Verbier, Ruhr, and Prussia Cove. Mr. Hochman has performed internationally at such major halls as the Concertgebouw, the Louvre, Tivoli Theatre, l’Auditori de Barcelona, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and Kumho Art Hall in Seoul. A masterful collaborator, Benjamin Hochman has worked with the Tokyo, Mendelssohn, Casals, Prazak and Daedalus Quartets, the Zukerman ChamberPlayers, members of the Guarneri and Orion Quartets, Miklós Perényi, Ralph Kirshbaum, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, Cho-Liang Lin and Ani Kavafian. As a dedicated advocate for contemporary music, he has performed works by Kurtág, Carter, Lutoslowski, and Andriessen, and has worked closely with such notable composers as Krzysztof Penderecki, Philippe Hurel, Osvaldo Golijov and Tania Leon, among others.”

After hearing Benjamin Hochman perform the Ravel, it should be obvious to anyone in the audience that all of us heard a world-class pianist. What was so startling about his performance was the ease with which he played. In order to be accurate, which he was, and in order to shape the phrases the way the composer wishes at the tempo the composer demands, one has to be totally relaxed physically and mentally. Every performer, whether a violinist, a singer, or a pianist, becomes nervous immediately before they enter the stage. But, after they begin to perform, and after the first few measures of the piece, they must know it so well mentally, and be so competent physically, that they can relax and enjoy making the music. You must understand, that the reason one becomes a performing artist, is because there is joy in it, and so many people who are not performing musicians seem to miss this point. Benjamin Hochman is one of the most relaxed pianists that I have seen in several years. He was totally at ease and able to concentrate totally on the job that he enjoys so much. He plays so unbelievably well, there is no need to make the extravagant motions that some pianists make, as if they are saying, “Look how I lifted my hand from the keyboard. Isn’t that terribly expressive and indicative of my great sensitivity?” Hochman simply sits down at the piano, and through the music, shows us what a remarkable artist he is and how remarkable the music is.

His reliable musicianship (And even that seems silly to say. If he was not reliable, he wouldn’t be where he is) obviously made it much easier for Maestro Butterman to make music as well, and I was under the distinct impression that they truly enjoyed working together. And of course every performance is much easier if there is mutual respect.

The tempos taken were absolutely perfect: full of energy and drive. Ravel often said that the piano was his favorite instrument and it certainly shows in this composition, for he uses the piano’s expressive ability to the fullest potential. In addition, the orchestration of the piece, which is remarkable, supports everything that the piano executes. But it was Hochman’s relaxation that made his performance look so easy and sound so absolutely marvelous. His hands and arms never once became rigid or tense, and mentally, he was absolutely beyond compare.

I hope there were some aspiring pianists in the audience who could recognize why his playing is so artistically perfect. It will certainly give them something to strive for, and at the same time, give them the awareness that their goal is entirely realistic.

Following the Ravel, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra performed George Gershwin’s American in Paris. For whatever reason, when I was an undergraduate student (and that was in the late 50s and early 60s), no one seemed to understand that Ravel and Gershwin knew each other, even though it was admitted that they influenced each other a great deal. Everyone expressed the knowledge that they had their pictures taken together, but scholars always said that they never really met. I studied with a man, Walter Bricht, who was a close friend of Ravel’s, and he told me that he saw Gershwin at Ravel’s house. I wrote about that and posted the article on April 6, 2011. If you just go to the archives listed the left-hand side of this page and click on April 2011, you can find the article. At any rate, it was a great relief to hear Maestro Butterman state that they certainly did know each other, and that they compared each other’s scores, for there is much more in their compositions than just casual influence.

American in Paris needs no introduction whatsoever, and really, George Gershwin doesn’t either. But I will say that George Gershwin still remains a remarkably underrated composer. The performance of this remarkable tone poem, and it is a tone poem because it was inspired by extra-musical considerations, was absolutely marvelous. Yes, there is much American jazz influence in this work as well, with its 9th, 11th, and 13th chords, but Gershwin also said, that aside from the Ravel influence, that he was also inspired by Claude Debussy. But I must say, that if Paris is known by its nickname, The City of Lights, then this performance certainly reflected that image.

The performance of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, and the performance of Benjamin Hochman, plus the ability of the Boulder Phil to invite such an artist, underscores a fact that needs to be clearly stated: the State of Colorado has two major orchestras: the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in Denver, and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.