Music Reviews : Pianist Anton Kuerti at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium

Scratch a pianist, find a soprano: There is so much to admire in the playing of Anton Kuerti, it seems a shame the Vienna-born, Canadian-resident musician still adds distracting, high-pitched, humming noises to his performances--constantly.

At Kuerti’s latest local appearance, Saturday night in Beckman Auditorium at Caltech in Pasadena, the 49-year-old pianist also disturbed the listener by what one suspects is an uncharacteristic emotional distancing. In his immaculately played program of Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin, very little communicating went on between the cool pianist and his patient, hard-listening audience.

A clear view of disparate styles, technical solidity and apprehendable musical sense marked these performances. Beethoven’s Bagatelles, Opus 126, though not projected with all the sharpness inherent in the score, emerged quirky and engaging; his “Andante favori” had mellow tone and a continuous flow; the “Appassionata” Sonata showed none of the burnout some bring to it.

Similarly, Mozart’s Adagio in B minor and Chopin’s Sonata, in the same key, delivered an abundance of the composers’ contrasting styles--without much personal input from the performer. It was one of those nights when the player seems to be rounding the corners rather than sculpting them cleanly.