Crowd packs Slee for a great Goode concert

By Mary Kunz Goldman

Slee Hall’s Lippes Concert Hall was packed Friday night for a rare recital by pianist Richard Goode.

There were all kinds of people — classical musicians, jazz musicians, world music musicians and other folks who just liked to listen. There were all ages, too, from elder statesmen to toddlers.

You had to hand it to Goode, drawing such a crowd. You had to hand it to Buffalo, too. As one fan exulted, there were no bells and whistles, just Schumann, Brahms and Chopin. And here was this gigantic crowd, packed together, listening in incredible silence. Even the little kids. It was remarkable.

Goode is the kind of musician who wins attention.

He looks unassuming, which is part of his charm. He walks out smiling, almost apologetically. Then he sits down to play, and it’s entrancing.

That unassuming nature shines in his playing. Goode thinks deeply about the music he plays — he wrote the liner notes to the Chopin that appeared in the University at Buffalo program (the headline: “A Few Words on the Second Half”).

But the music sounds spontaneous. It is enchanting in a straightforward, unaffected way.

Schumann’s “Scenes From Childhood” had nostalgia but also wit. You had to love Goode for not over-engineering the simple pieces. His tempos were steady, everything has a classical sensibility. The music unfolded naturally.

Goode lets himself have fun with the music. He appears to enjoy himself. As one classical music newbie said, he looks happy.

His eyes were half closed, he smiled, he seemed blissed out and unself-conscious.

His sense of humor was in evidence. The mood could turn on a dime from sunshine to shadow, or sometimes just a subtle change of light.

“Traumerei” was sweet without being overly sentimental. The last piece, “The Poet Speaks,” had a slow but not overbearing dignity.

Seven Brahms Piano Pieces, Op. 116, benefited from his natural spontaneity. They got off to a dramatic start — Goode walked out, smiled quizzically at us, hesitated a second, then sat down and threw himself into the music. Great theater.

Goode is a wonderful Brahms pianist. He is free with the pedal and the big, rich chords have a rounded glow. He brings out the harmonies, giving the treble notes a bell-like tone and delineating the inner voices in a way that made you notice, sometimes for the first time, what Brahms was doing.

The Capriccio in G minor, with its sweeping waltz, had chivalry and charm. The E major Intermezzo emerged with an effortless grace. Goode clearly revels in this music.

The Chopin continued the excitement. One highlight was the Scherzo No. 3, where the chorale melody sang, in contrast to the arpeggios. His technique may be understated, but it is excellent.

The three waltzes resisted schmaltz — the often-overlooked Waltz in A flat, Op. 64, No. 3, was a special delight. The concluding Ballade No. 3 won a standing ovation.

Goode rewarded it with an encore: the questioning, melancholy A minor Mazurka, Op. 17, No. 4.

Concert Review

Richard Goode, piano

Part of the Ramsi P. Tick Concert Series. Friday evening in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall, University at Buffalo North Campus, Amherst.

mkunz@buffnews.com
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