PIANIST WOLTHAL IN RECITAL AT USC : WOLFTHAL IN RECITAL AT USC

At the Arnold Schoenberg Institute at USC on Thursday evening, pianist Marvin Allen Wolfthal made clear his commitment to the works he performed.

Schoenberg’s Five Pieces, Opus 23, set the emotional and aesthetic tone. Giving careful attention to the balance of voices, style of attack and clarity of form, the New York-based pianist gave the work an expressive, lyrical reading.

The unbridled emotionalism of Roger Sessions’ intense Third Sonata followed. Though powerful crescendos and dramatic gestures abound, they are not focused into a comprehensible essay. Wolfthal exacerbated this problem by playing with unusual ferocity much of the time. He deserves high praise for his ability to deliver volcanic fortissimos without losing an iota of control, but cannot be excused for failing to use his dynamic capacity to shape the work.

The same held true for Charles Tomlinson Griffes’ Sonata, a late work which eschews the impressionism found in the composer’s earlier works. Here, however, the pianist demonstrated restraint, subtlety and poetic charm during the softer sections.

The shortest works on the program were the most successful. Carl Ruggles’ “Evocations,” four concise movements rich in variety and invention, received an intelligent, communicative reading. Wolfthal delivered Donald Martino’s logically constructed and rhythmically fascinating Piano Fantasy with style and panache.