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Ohlsson: King of Hill

If one had to parcel out praise for Saturday's concert, I wonder who would deserve more. Would it be Chopin, the composer who didn't live to see age 40 but nevertheless left us six tremendous concert's worth of piano music? Or would it be Garrick Ohlsson, who played the music to perfection?

When it seemed the music couldn't possibly get any better Saturday night, it did. The program propelled itself to a fantastic conclusion, ending Ohlsson's spectacular two-season undertaking.

Unlike Ohlsson's previous five Ann Arbor concerts in his series of Chopin's complete solo piano music, the finale was held in Hill Auditorium. Although the hall was certainly less intimate than Rackham, the live acoustics of Hill augmented Ohlsson's sound.

And the large audience, aided by a lengthy speech by University Musical Society Director Kenneth Fischer, nearly made the concert more a spectacle than a recital.

Yet from the opening notes of the "Impromptu No. 2, Op. 36," Ohlsson transcended the large space. Like always, he commanded attention. He waited for silence before proceeding to captivate and fascinate with some of the most delicate notes ever written.

The 12 beautiful etudes of Op. 25 came second. Most remarkable was the complete ease with which Ohlsson played the technically stumping pieces. An elegant shepherd's call led to the notes of No. 2, "The Bees," which raced cleanly by.

Fading from one etude to the next, Ohlsson coaxed countless colors, nuances and dynamics -- ranging from stormy to imperceptibly soft -- from the piano. He peeled off runs as one would peel a banana.

In No. 12, dubbed "The Ocean," one could only suppose that Ohlsson shook his hands and let the notes flow out his fingertips.

The audience cheered and Ohlsson smiled broadly. He seemed to be enjoying the concert as much as, or more than, anyone else. Yet the performance didn't end with this triumph. It had only started.

Chopin's "Two Nocturnes, Op. 62," featured Ohlsson as a master of silences as well as tones. The second of "Three Mazurkas, Op. 59," which followed, led listeners on an exhilarating musical trail of dramatic mood and key shifts.

The "Polonaise-Fantasie, Op. 64," Chopin's last piece of this genre, was forceful and insistent, then absorbing and heartfelt. A trill, which began in one voice and was joined by others, made for a thrilling moment. A grand chord ended the piece with finality.

And with this, the first half concluded -- two hours after the program began. But as Ohlsson has shown over the last two seasons, Chopin was a composer with a lot to say. And he wasn't through saying it quite yet.

The beautiful "Ballade No. 3, Op. 47," with its deceptive simplicity, began the second half. Three more mazurkas, these of Op. 59, followed.

And Ohlsson saved the best, Chopin's third "Sonata, Op. 58," for last.

Low-register runs welled up from the piano and propelled the movement to the fast-paced, but never harrie, Scherzo. The Largo, its peaceful rocking misted over the audience, was Chopin at his utmost. The final movement built in excitement until its masterful end.