A Noteworthy New Recording
PIANIST SEAN KENNARD’s new CD, released under the College of Charleston’s Cougar Classics label, showcases a combination of remarkable technical skills and refreshing interpretive style.
The recording was done on a restored 1940 Steinway-D over three days at the College of Charleston Simons Center Recital Hall—a venue not intended as a sound studio, but one that will undoubtedly become a popular choice for such recordings. Wait till you hear the sound quality.
All three composers represented on this CD—Chopin, Scarlatti, and Stravinsky—reveal Sean’s knack for performing music from a variety of periods and composers, which is not surprising since he has performed across five continents and been a prize winner at several international competitions. A graduate of the Curtis Institute, Sean completed the Artist Certificate program at the College, studying with Enrique Graf, and is now completing his masters at Juilliard. He will be in town next Tuesday to perform at the International Piano Series at the Sottile, and we had the good fortune of hearing an early release of the CD.
Leading the way are Chopin’s 24 preludes which demand the utmost virtuosity along with an interpretive ability to span Chopin’s sweeping spectrum of emotions with convincing feeling, not just keyboard wizardry. In each short piece, the mood switches abruptly from cheerful to poignant, light to pensive, manic to deeply passionate. Throughout, Sean’s adept finger work, clean playing and pedaling, and his unique sense of timing capture and hold your undivided attention. Who plays Chopin like this?
All 24 preludes are spectacular, but a few of the more well known ones deserve special mention. No. 4 (a harmonically intensive piece) is suspenseful throughout yet produces one of the most beautiful resolutions at the end. In No. 8, Sean launches passionately and persuasively into the complex polyrhythms. In No. 15, “Raindrop,” with a slightly faster tempo, Sean guides us from an easy and light-hearted opening into an overtly dark and dramatic section, displaying his ability to effortlessly portray contrasting moods and emotional swings.
The two Scarlatti sonatas likewise demand a clear grasp of harmonic vocabulary, form, and technique—the full arsenal of skills that Sean obviously possesses. This recording of Scarlatti exudes clear structure and form, with Sean seeming to brush aside the composer’s virtuosic contrapuntal writing with ease. The playing is vivid and controlled without sacrificing any of Scarlatti’s ebullient sense of excitement.
Speaking of excitement, the CD fittingly concludes with Stravinsky’s vivacious three movements from Petrouchka, transcribed by the composer himself from his famous ballet score. Sean’s lively—to say the least—rendition keeps you literally on the edge of your seat. Stravinsky had wanted these three movements to be more than mere transcriptions—they had to be technically challenging to the pianist and musically satisfying to the listener at the same time (a task not achieved by as much music as you may think). Sean’s handling of the three movements is highly imaginative and technically impressive. His raw power in combination with his beautiful lyricism makes for a performance that is haunting and memorable.
Throughout the intensity of this entire recording (some of which you will hear Tuesday night at the Sottile), the sound is never dull or over-bearing, and Sean masterfully demonstrates the full range of the instrument. Credit should also be given to producer Enrique Graf for his help, to Joe Malecki who kept the piano up to task, and to Fernando Troche for capturing all the details that go into such a painstakingly perfect recording that is clearly a must-have in any classical piano library.
