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The Legacy of the Great French Pianist Germaine Pinault
Ana Maria Trenchi Bottazzi. Goethe Institute, New York, October 21, 2006.
On Saturday, October 21, this reviewer had the pleasure to attend a piano recital devoted to the legacy of renowned French pianist and master teacher Germaine Pinault at the Goethe Institute in New York. Previous to the performance itself, Ana Maria Trenchi Bottazzi, disciple of Mme. Pinault and Director of the school honoring her name, shared with the audience the motivations for the homage. Dr. Bottazzi started by reminiscing about the pedagogic practices prevalent in post-war Paris, explaining what these demanding conditions had meant to a young girl arriving from far away lands and how the extreme generosity of Mme. Pinault was what ultimately made it possible for her to continue her studies. Inscribing Mme. Pinault’s teachings within the age-long tradition of transmitting one’s knowledge, wisdom, and experience to the young, Dr. Bottazzi’s emotive account elaborated on the kinds of sacrifices required to perfect one’s craft, and how artistic excellence must sometimes be pursued at any cost. Generosity and acknowledgement were recurring themes: Because of fateful circumstances, Dr. Bottazzi was not able to thank Mme. Pinault for her teachings, drawing a parallel to the fact that it is often the case that the teacher does not see the final result of his or her work. By recalling a series of moving, real-life anecdotes full of truth and wisdom about her development as a young artist, Dr. Trenchi rounded her introduction by establishing the crucial link between parenting and teaching, on the one hand, and between pedagogy and artistic excellence, on the other.
The conclusion of the concert, by Dr. Bottazzi herself, consisted of Domenico Scarlatti’s Sonatas in D Major, L-14, and in F Minor, L-118, followed by Mozart’s Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je- maman,” K. 265, Schlummerlied, by Helmut Fuchs, and Chopin’s Scherzo in Db, Op. 31, No. 2. As an encore, she rendered a marvelous interpretation of Ginastera’s solo piano version of Canción del árbol del olvido, Op. 3. Dr. Bottazzi’s consummate performance was an impressive lesson in color, dynamics, tempo, and polyphony, but, above all, drama. Whether in the world of the early keyboard sonatas of Scarlatti or the sophisticated pianistic language of Chopin or the complex modernist harmonies of Ginastera, she projected an intense expression which engulfed the audience like an ocean of emotion. Dr. Bottazzi’s demonstration was the perfect conclusion for a evening featuring three different generations of pianists passing the torch to one another, ultimately illustrating the deep spirituality shared by all committed artists.
Copyright © 2006 by Martin Kutnowski |