Pius Cheung, marimba
48th Young Concert Artists Series
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
March 3, 2009

Chinese-Canadian marimbist Pius Cheung attracted a hefty crowd of music lovers in spite of what must have been the coldest evening this winter.  Mr. Cheung became a winner of the 48th Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 2008, realizing his childhood dream, as he told the audience in the concert’s conclusion.

The program opened with Variations on Japanese Children’s Songs by Keiko Abe.  The Variations were a wonderful juxtaposition of delicate and violent sonorities.  I was immediately struck by the artist’s wide expressive range and strong command of rhythmic tension.  Although marimba sound appears difficult to fill a six-hundred seat auditorium, the artist managed to paint a picture of grandeur by carefully planning all agogic moves.

Written for and dedicated to Pius Cheung. “Blowing Westward” by Zhou Tian (b. 1981) is a mesmerizing piece based on an impression of a world described by Chinese writer SuTong.  The artist seemed to own the piece technically and emotionally as well, virtually hypnotizing the audience with his reading.

The selections from J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 were conceivably the biggest challenge for the performer, both for their familiarity and the tremendous technical issues in the marimba arrangement; imagine playing the Variations on a gigantic keyboard, using only two fingers in each hand!  Mr. Cheung’s performance of his own arrangement was expressive, sensitive, and unpretentious, and left the listeners with a feeling of comfort.  The artist created perfect legato by carefully matching the reverberation and decay from one note to the next.  The fast-decaying and delicate sound was reminiscent of the clavichord, an instrument which J. S. Bach valued above all keyboard instruments for its expressive capabilities.  In some variations, Mr. Cheung decided to forego some of the original voice crossings.  Because of the technical hoops, the artist had to choreograph his body movements in a way that best accommodated the passagework, which at times made him look like a modern dancer of sorts.  This very successful rendition was another proof that Bach’s music can sound glorious on any instrument.

Mr. Cheung presented his own Three Etudes, a cycle which won him first prize in the Classical Marimba Leaque’s 2007 Compositions Competition.  The influence of Rachmaninov was clear, chiefly in Cheung’s way of utilizing harmonic gestures, rhythmic patterns, as well as textural effects.  The gusting passagework, sequences, and climatic explosions in Etude No. 1 in D minor were reminiscent of Moment musical in E minor.  In Etude No. 3 in D major, evoking the ‘possessed’ waltz from the third movement of Rachmaninov’sPiano Sonata in B-flat minor, I felt that the instrument by it’s nature seemed to lack the dynamic range to convey the tremendous tension and grand musical gestures of this particular style.  Although not very innovative in terms of musical language, the Etudes were engaging and communicated with authority.  The piece caused a roar of applause and will certainly constitute a precious addition to the standard marimba repertoire.

Mr. Cheung’s marimba arrangement of Schoenberg’s Sechs Kleine Klaverstucke, Op. 19 provided an appealing contrast to the comforting warmth of Cheung’s Etudes.  In these short pieces, the artist demonstrated remarkable understanding of Schoenberg;s free atonal style.  “Merlin” by Andrew Thomas (b. 1939) concluded the program.  Through a wide array of articulations and sonorities, Mr. Cheung presented a highly dramatic reading, giving due attention to each sonority and phrase.  By making the most of the extreme dynamics, as well as emotion-filled silences, the artist gave special meaning to the words of the poem (“out of Time…out of tune with Time…”).

Overall, Mr. Cheung conveyed the joy of music-making and true passion for the instrument, proving his ability to communicate through a wide variety of repertoire and styles.  “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” was a welcome encore, bringing this very pleasant musical soiree to a close.

Magdalena Baczewska, New York Concert Review