Here, Serkin's characteristic articulation was reincarnated. Bold, clearly defined notes that bordered on percussive marked the most boisterous moments of the last movement of the sonata, with two other clear types of articulation employed in the rest of the movement: a very connected and smooth slur, and a less connected one. She paid no less careful attention to different levels of dynamics.
The first movement was wrought with fluid technique and sudden gusts of speed in dense and quick passages. Licad didn't make any big, unorthodox statements, but her individuality grows out of a refined and thoughtful take on performance traditions.
Licad also played Haydn's Sonata in C major, which shares with the Mozart an emotional intensity that prefigures the romantic era - in particular, Beethoven. Haydn's use of the middle register of the piano for noble and dignified melodies was shaped beautifully by the pianist.
A masterful technical command was abundantly apparent in Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit. Licad disposed of incredibly quick, complex passages with ease, treating alternately lithe and bombastic music with equal facility.
CECILE LICAD
Presented by the Curtis Institute of Music Alumni Recital Series. Performed Sunday afternoon at Curtis Hall. No additional performances.
