Review by Barry Plaxen
SHANDELEE, NY (August 11, 20120) – Rubato can be translated as robbed time or stolen time. As most everyone knows, it is an expression of rhythmic freedom. It is believed to have begun with Gregorian Chant, but is mostly associated with the Romantic Period during which performers were “allowed” to be more freely expressive and “natural” because of the manner in which composers composed.
Rubato was much in evidence on August 9, 2012 in the beautiful Sunset Pavilion at the 19th Shandelee Music Festival with pianist AllenYueh’s “An Evening of Solo Piano.”
Yueh (b.1991) first performed at Shandelee at the age of 12 and has performed there as a guest and as one of the International Artists of Shandelee. A former scholarship student of the Festival, he completed the gamut from child performer, advanced student and promising artist to concert pianist while still in his teens. This accomplishment was celebrated on August 9 as Shandelee associates and audience members, aware of his pedagogical journey in the last nine years, shared their feelings of joy at his “coming home.”
For his program, Yueh chose the romantic music of Robert Schumann (“Scenes from Childhood”), Franz Schubert (3 “Impromptus, Op. 90), Beethoven (“Piano Sonata # 26, ‘Les Adieux’”) and Franz Liszt (“Sonata in b”). His three well-deserved encores included works of Chopin and Beethoven.
With the playing of each piece this remarkable pianist entertained, mesmerized, thrilled and moved the full-house audience to a high pitch of excitement. He did this, of course, with his skillful technique and expressive phrasing. But mostly in evidence for me, thanks to the period of the music he performed, were his rubatos (rubati?). Romantic music is often denigrated by some modern musicologists and composers, but you cannot get away from the emotion stirring result of exquisite and inspired rubato. With artists like Yueh, it comes from the deep within and is fully communicated to all within hearing. That can be defined in one word: talent.
Though there might not have been a precise delineation of the unique voice of each composer, I suspect that will come later for Mr. Yueh, when he matures and finishes discovering his own personal, expressive feelings and allows each composer’s voice to overshadow his inspired piano playing. There were certainly inklings of this during the concert as you were aware of the magic he was creating with each piece as he brought forth Schumann’s innovative harmonies, Schubert’s melodic invention, Beethoven’s power and Liszt’s integration of those three skills.
More Shandelee concerts of the highest quality will continue through August 18. There are chamber and choral works, and the International Artists of Shandelee, young concert pianists. For tickets and information: www.shandelee.org or 845-439-3277.
(My trip to Shandelee is lengthy. At previous Shandelee concerts, I had noted that Mary Lanza was a member of the Festival’s Board of Advisors. So I arrived at the concert after dining at Lanza’s Country Inn, just a five minute drive from the Festival site, and would like to share that most pleasant “breaking-the drive without being late” opportunity for others who do not reside close by.)
The Catskill Chronicle 
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