PIANIST HENRY WONG DOE  at the Pines  

by Isaac Steven Vaughan

Pianist Henry Wong Doe made an unforgettable impression Friday, July 11 at Whyte Hall’s Brandon Fradd Theatre in the Fire Island Pines.

Mr. Fradd himself introduced the evening, promising this as the first in a series of classical concerts to be presented by the Fire Island Pines Arts Project.  From the size of the nearly sold out house, clearly there’s a claim for this.  And what a way to begin!

A New Zealand native, Mr. Wong Doe has garnered top prizes in several international piano competitions, including two “Audience Favorite” awards; easy to understand considering his captivating stage presence with which he makes the music look so difficult while sounding so effortless.

The evening opened with Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”, written while the composer was coming to grips with his complete deafness, reflecting the emotional turmoil he felt during the time.  Mr. Wong Doe displayed the score’s passion and energy, particularly in the third movement’s appropriately chosen tempo culminating in the exhilarating piu allegro at the end.

More musical frustration followed; the sweepingly romantic but sorrowful tone of Frederic Chopin’s Barcarolle in F-sharp, Op. 60 was created as his health was fatally deteriorating from tuberculosis and his relationship with George Sand, one of the most successful novelists of her day, was beginning to crumble.  Characterized by a rhythm reminiscent of a Venetian gondolier's stroke, it rocked to a molto rubato current.

Next came a complete change of mood with From Grandes Etudes de Paganini, S. 141, No. 3 in g-sharp minor, “La Campane lla”. Franz Lizst borrowed the theme from the final movement of a violin concerto which evoked the tinkling of little bells, thus the title.  Featured in the 1996 film Shine, this etude originally became famous for the inventiveness with which it plays the delightful folk theme amidst a continuous ringing of high notes.

This is the first time that FIPAP has had a piano other than an upright for the entire season, and board member David Ratcliffe explained “due to the inability to store one properly here over the winter, we made the decision to rent one.”  Asked about the instrument, Mr. Wong Doe remarked “The piano was good.  It definitely stood up to all the pounding I gave it!”

Following intermission, the concert hall was “transformed” into an art gallery.  While suffering from delirium tremens due to his alcoholism, Modest Mussorgsky composed his famous suite Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) in commemoration of his artist friend Viktor Hartmann, who was only 39 when he suffered an aneurysm and died.  This was Mr. Wong Doe’s best performance of the evening, bringing both contemplation and humor to this difficult score.  The vivid changes of color fit into an astutely organized concept of the work as a whole, emerging as a deeply satisfying panorama of contrasting aural experiences.

For an encore, the audience was treated to Chopin’s “Raindrop” Prelude No. 15 in D-flat major, Op. 28.

Henry Wong Doe’s performances have taken him around the world from Lincoln Center to the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, Israel.  His prize winning performances at the 2000 Sydney International Piano Competition were recorded and released on the Australian ABC Classics label.  And his upcoming performances include a Carnegie Weill Recital Hall debut in November, and Grieg's Piano Concerto with New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia.  So if you missed his extraordinary performance this summer on this island, catch him when he’s playing two bigger ones this fall...