When Jean-Yves Thibaudet visited NPR to play a Tiny Desk, the whole lot about him was fashionable. His sneakers had been customized made for him by the late Vivienne Westwood, his jacket was by Simon Porte Jacquemus, his necklace, Cartier.
When he sat all the way down to play, arguably just one factor appeared to be lacking: a shiny, 9-foot grand piano. However Thibaudet, like many nice pianists who’ve graced our workplace area, understands the vibe of our beloved little live performance collection. He is aware of that the purpose is not to be taking part in on the most important piano potential. As an alternative, he delighted in bringing music by Villa-Lobos, Brahms and Ravel to our diminutive — however meticulously groomed — upright. And the colours and textures he conjured from that trusty field of wooden and wire was unforgettable.
Thibaudet begins with a firecracker of a bit from the early twentieth century — two-minutes of effervescence by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Watch the pianist’s fingers in a blur, stabbing a whole lot of notes like a stitching machine. It was an encore favourite of the good pianist Arthur Rubinstein, Thibaudet explains.
What follows couldn’t be extra completely different. The Intermezzo Op. 118, No. 2, is traditional late Brahms, crammed with muted, fall afternoon mild and whispered internal voices. Thibaudet ends with a tribute to one in all his idols, Maurice Ravel, whose one hundred and fiftieth beginning anniversary is being celebrated far and huge. Seems that one of many composer’s greatest hits, the Pavane for a Lifeless Princess, was not amongst his personal favorites. And the evocative title was merely tacked on as a poetic afterthought. Nonetheless, the huge palette of coloring and shading Thibaudet presents is a masterclass in learn how to make an upright piano sound like a symphony orchestra.
SET LIST
- Heitor Villa-Lobos: “O polichinelo” (from A prole do bebê No. 1)
- Johannes Brahms: Intermezzo in A serious, Op. 118, No. 2
- Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
MUSICIANS
- Jean-Yves Thibaudet: piano
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producer: Tom Huizenga
- Director/Editor: Kara Body
- Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
- Host/Sequence Producer: Bobby Carter
- Videographers: Kara Body, Joshua Bryant
- Audio Engineer: Andie Heuther
- Manufacturing Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite
- Photographer: Alanté Serene
- Tiny Desk Staff: Maia Stern, Lars Gotrich
- Government Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Sequence Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
- VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
