United States Varied: Conrad Tao (piano). San Francisco Performances, Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, 17.10.2025. (HS)
Conrad Tao hatched an important concept for a piano recital: exploring connections between Rachmaninoff’s piano music and the favored music of the primary half of the 20 th century. It really works each methods. The composer fled the Russian Revolution in 1918 to reach in the USA on the daybreak of the Jazz Period, and it’s honest to say he absorbed some concepts from Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and early jazz pianists into his personal late-Romantic music. Standard composers returned the favor by stealing a few of his finest tunes, and jazz pianists echoed (in their very own manner) his expansive, florid writing for the piano.
For this program, which he has been performing in varied areas for nearly two years now, Tao constructed units placing Rachmaninoff’s piano music side-by-side with items by Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Harold Arlen and Billy Strayhorn (whose collaborations with the pianist-composer-band chief Duke Ellington rank among the many nice jazz requirements). He additionally utilized his personal methods to a few of Rachmaninoff’s music in the identical manner a jazz artist may current ‘jazzed-up’ variations in a program of requirements. The obvious instance was his full-on improvisation of Variation 15 from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Tao recalled that in training the work one summer time as a scholar, he appreciated to riff on the music earlier than getting all the way down to mastering it for efficiency with an orchestra. He turned Rachmaninoff’s fluttering however exacting Più vivo scherzando right into a torrent of finger-breaking pianistic extravagance.
To be honest, that improvisation as performed in San Francisco was particularly wild and far-out in comparison together with his preparations of the opposite works. But it surely additionally exemplified my solely quarrel with Tao’s efficiency: though he may play the softer components tenderly and with supple textures, an excessive amount of of the night was overly forceful and simply plain loud.
What was lacking was the dazzling, intricate facet of others’ music. And never simply Rachmaninoff. Tao’s transcription of Artwork Tatum’s well-known 1953 solo piano improvisation of Arlen’s ‘Over the Rainbow’ captured it be aware for be aware, however the place Tatum swung breezily by way of his genius decorations on the favored tune, Tao went loud. It was not an enchancment.
The most effective set to my ears was the gentlest, starting with a piano-only model of Rachmaninoff’s tune ‘Daisies’, adopted by a zephyr-like association of Strayhorn’s ‘Day Dream’. Rachmaninoff’s melancholy Étude-Tableau in C minor, with its jazz-like chords and deliberate tempo, mirrored parts in Strayhorn’s piece. This was a welcome change-of-pace after a number of units geared toward pleasure.
The primary set was easy, starting with the florid flurries of three Preludes, which Tao selected as reflections of what the composer may need heard in the USA. Instantly following was Strayhorn’s ‘Take the A Prepare’. Tao’s demeanor modified for the jazz piece, bobbing his head, rocking his physique and stabbing at chords in a nod to Ellington’s taking part in of this piece. Tao can certainly get right into a jazz participant’s rhythmic groove.
The subsequent set started with ‘In Buddy’s Eyes’ from Sondheim’s Follies and ‘Auf einer Burg’ from Robert Schumann’s Liederkreis, each songs about lovers coping with hidden losses. Tao’s preparations gracefully enhanced the unique vocal scores for piano, and the harmonies of Rachmaninoff’s Étude-Tableau in A minor (from Op.39) did certainly mirror the opposite songs, particularly on the ultimate quiet chords.
The subsequent set centered on the ‘Over the Rainbow’ transcription. Previous it was a Tin Pan Alley model of Irving Berlin’s ‘All by Myself’, adopted by the improvisation of the Variation 15. A florid association for piano alone of the well-known Variation 18 (sans orchestra) did present some jazz affect. It made sense to complete the set with Strayhorn’s plush harmonies in ‘Lush Life’.
After the intermission, Tao launched into Symphonic Dances, Rachmaninoff’s final work, in fellow pianist Inon Barnatan’s solo piano association. It’s a robust project to translate an enormous orchestra sound to a single piano. Tao emphasised loud dynamics and infrequently softened its edge, one thing Rachmaninoff was capable of do with the varied colours in his orchestration (and Barnatan on piano in his recording.) Tao’s damn-the-torpedoes method seldom summoned the readability to make it sing.
For an encore, Tao sang and performed ‘Full Moon and Empty Arms’, for which Buddy Kaye and Ted Mossman stole the large tune from Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.2. It was an acceptable alternative to complete the live performance, and one can admire Tao’s willingness to reveal his untrained voice, however a cabaret singer he’s not.
Harvey Steiman
Rachmaninoff – Prelude in C main, Op.32 No.1; Prelude in A-flat main, Op.23 No.8; Prelude in G main, Op.32 No.5; Étude-Tableau in A minor, Op.39 No.2; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Variation 18; ‘Daisies’; Étude-Tableau in C minor, Op.33 No.3
Rachmaninoff/Tao – Improvisation on Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Variation 15
Rachmaninoff (arr. Inon Barnatan) – Symphonic Dances, Op.45
Strayhorn/Tao – ‘Take the A Prepare’; ‘Lush Life’; ‘Day Dream’
Sondheim/Tao – ‘In Buddy’s Eyes’ (from Follies)
Robert Schumann/Tao – ‘Auf einer Burg’ (from Liederkreis)
Berlin/Tao – ‘All by Myself’
Arlen/Tatum – ‘Over the Rainbow’ (1953 recording – transcribed by Tao)
