10.26.06
Roy Howat Recital, Debussy International Congress, Austin, TX
Roy Howat gave a very fine recital in Bates Recital Hall on the University of Texas Campus. He played the first book of preludes in a very compelling way. It was the most satisfying sense of the cycle of these pieces that I have heard. He presented the sonorities well, he observed the markings in the score, and he had a playful joie de vivre that fit the pieces when needed. He also captured the quiet and allowed the sound to die away in a most effective way. It is rare to hear a player so effectively convey the spirit and notated intentions of Debussy.
I will interview him Saturday and am very eager for his impressions on my study of light, sense of place, anad the piano works of Debussy. Marie Rolf, who I remembered from my days at Eastman, and James Briscoe from Butler University have also agreed to speak on camera about their impressions of light, Russian and Oriental influences, and the 1889 International Exhibition in Paris and how these might have affected Debussy’s style.
The day started with my appearance with Seetha Shivaswamy on the Fox 7 Morning show, where I performed a snippet of Debussy’s “Feux d’artifice” and we played most of the first movement of the Muczyinsky Flute Sonata. It went well, we hope for a good audience Saturday night for the Java Quake benefit, and I was able to show my appreciation for Steinway Piano Gallery of Austin. They provided us with the largest Steinway upright for this appearance.
