On the gloomy and stormy evening of November 20th, pianist Sergio Tiempo, appearing in recital at Petit Trianon in San Jose, treated his audience to a breath of fresh air in a multi-flavored program for Steinway Society the Bay Area’s third concert in its 2010-2011 series. During the greetings from a representative of the Society, we learned about the pianist’s background (Venezuelan and Italian) and the fact that he had just become a father during the past week!

Dressed modestly in black,Tiempo’s warm and unassuming manner touched us from the moment he stepped out on stage. He boldly opened his program with the D Major Haydn Sonata, Hob. XVI/37. Hardly taking any time to familiarize himself with the stage or its surroundings, he immediately plunged into the sparkling spirit of the Sonata, which he played with charm and a sense of playfulness. His first movement never ceased to be interesting as he displayed a wide range of dynamics and colors. Especially impressive was his command of soft dynamics as he created many magical shades of pianissimo. The second movement showcased somber Baroque-like characteristics, and his love for simplicity made the Sonata sound natural and organic. Finishing off with a bright, airy finale, his tempo was electrifying — although with a tendency to speed up at times out of genuine excitement.

Tiempo’s naturalness and freedom from histrionics were a further example of his genuine modesty. Before he continued with the Beethoven, he also spoke a few words to the audience. He mentioned his belief that through music, a composer (and performer) experiences the highest degree of creativity, and that this is the closest he could ever get to “giving birth,” although he mentioned, in jest, that this perception has changed with the recent birth of his daughter. He went on to say that the act of performing is, or is supposed to be, as spontaneous and real as life itself. He added that nothing can ever be perfect, or go according to plan, in a performance — just as in life! He concluded his charming speech by saying that he was dedicating this concert to his daughter.

He continued his program with a highly creative performance of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” The opening movement was very restrained, almost muted and with a grave and steady tempo. He played it in a somber manner throughout, creating a serious, almost funereal air. His restricted range of dynamics, rather than jeopardizing his playing, successfully suggested dark glowing images. His second movement was a different world, full of golden joy, heroic pride, and some of the playfulness he conveyed earlier in his Haydn sonata. He startled the audience with the abrupt loud chords in the opening measures of the third movement, projecting them in a sharply violent, raging way, and, not surprisinglyly, his tempo was a bit on the fast side as his arpeggios tumbled up and down the keyboard like a turbulent river. At the conclusion of the movement he stood up quickly and dramatically to receive the tumultuous applause.

Returning to the stage, he opened the next part of his program with Liszt’s Consolation No. 3, in D-flat Major. This piece, highly-reminiscent of Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2 in D-flat Major, set the mood for the second half of the program, which also featured twelve of Chopin’s Etudes. From this point on, Tiempo played with the utmost freedom, occasionally singing softly along with his playing. His expressivity and gentleness finally surfaced in this piece as he invited the audience into his intimate world. A unique and special feature of his playing is the sense of ease he projects. Never seeming to play in a burdened or forced way, his hands always appeared relaxed as he used his wrists in a loose almost casual manner.

He had barely concluded the Liszt before jumping right into Ginastera’s first Argentinean Dance, “Dance of the Old Herdsman.” The strange harmonies and obsessive ostinato melody in this short movement quickly captured the attention of the audience as Tiempo’s crisp articulation and thick textures began to reveal his wilder side. In the second dance, “Dance of the beautiful maiden,” he painted melancholy pictures of bittersweet loneliness through his renderings of exquisite chromatic harmonies. In the third and last dance, the diabolical “Dance of the Arrogant Cowboy,” he caused the piano to steam up in what was probably his most exciting performance of the evening! In fact, due to his intense and wild performance, the piano tuning needed to be touched up during intermission! It was somewhat shocking to observe how he could create from the piano such extremely percussive sounds, highly reminiscent of a possessed guitar.

After intermission we heard the twelve Chopin Etudes, half of them from Op. 10, and the other half from Op. 25. The audience barely had time to take a breath before Tiempo abruptly began the second half of the recital with the violent C Major arpeggios of Op. 10, No. 1 — his easy mastery was showcased here again through his command of the colossal waves of intricate arpeggios. Later on, impressively showcasing his solid technique, he performed with complete ease the much-feared by pianists Etude in A minor, Op. 10, No. 2. Occasionally Tiempo became a little too caught up in the excitement of the moment, which resulted in overly-tempestuous lightning-fast moments of technical frenzy. The highlight of such moments was his next to last Etude, the “Revolutionary Etude”, Op. 10, no. 12. Although his performance was impressive and lofty, it sometimes lacked a certain “breathing” quality, highly sought-after in most Chopin pieces.

In the slow, lyrically-centered Etudes, like the Op. 10, No. 6 and the Op. 25, no. 7, the pianist took lots of freedom in tempos, manipulating them creatively to fit his artistic ideas. However, during the Op. 25, No. 7, he was momentarily distracted by a woman in the front row who suddenly decided to speak to the man next to her audibly enough to be heard by those around her. Although Tiempo quickly recovered, his playing seemed somewhat fragmented during the rest of this piece. The remaining Etudes were impressive technically and brilliantly interpreted. The “Ocean Etude” (Op. 25, No. 12), the last Etude on the program, was a storm of violence, surprising the audience with an unexpected pause before a climactic and transitional arpeggio towards the end. Tiempo received enthusiastic applause and returned to the stage several times.

He gave two encores, the first of which was Chopin’s sweet Nocturne in F Major, Op. 15, No. 1 in a light, beautiful performance which could have ended the evening’s concert on a most satisfying note. However, he surprised us by, adding another encore, this time Piazzolla’s highly energetic La muerte del Angel! It fit him like a glove, just like the earlier Ginastera. This piece ended the program with heart-stopping enthusiasm and glissandos, leaving behind a murmur of awe in the audience — a full and pleasing aftertaste, leaving everyone fulfilled and amazed by this brilliant pianist.

End

Seventeen-year-old Theodora Martin, a resident of San Jose, is an honor student at Del Mar High School and an accomplished pianist who has been studying piano since the age of seven — her current teacher is Santa Clara University Professor Hans Boepple. She has won several important competitions, and can be heard on YouTube performing the Grieg Piano Concerto and the Chopin Concerto No. 1 in E Minor. She plans to major in music and pursue a career in piano performance.