Richard Goode

Richard Goode performed in Cleveland's Mixon Hall last Friday, January 23rd. The program was a satisfying mix of Bach and Chopin - two composers that always go well together - though it was on the long side, as he added to the program the Bach g minor fugue from WTC II. The first half itself was an hour.

Goode's playing reminded me strongly of Liszt's assessment of Thalberg: "I, too, could have had velvet paws!" It's relentlessly pretty. This can work wonderfully, for instance in such delicate works as the nocturne in F-sharp major, op.15 no.2. It can backfire completely, for instance in the scherzo in c-sharp minor, op.39: there was no fury, no sense of risk, of passionate fire. All in all, and I'm loathe to say it, it was far too beautiful for my taste.

The Bach was performed with a score, which caused a minor stir amongst the conservative audience members. Mumbling was definitely audible, as were skeptical looks. However any person who listened to Goode could not have seriously doubted, that he could play from memory if he desired. The effect of the score was one of intimacy; it was as if he was reading to us aloud, and of course it added a scholarly veneer.