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What is one to expect of “Horowitz’s Last Pupil”,
as Harold Schonberg called him? Early on, Eduardus Halim was noted
for his interpretations of the romantic repertoire. (Please note
the emptiness of that last sentence: in piano circles, that and
50 cents will get you a cup of coffee.) Though he has a Muslim name,
Halim is of Chinese descent, was raised in Indonesia, and was trained
in Javanese dance as well as the piano. He took 40 lessons with
Horowitz, though the relationship later waned. An Exotic with fingers,
then? A case for affinity with Chopin can certainly not be made
on background, upbringing, or cultural experience.
This program begins with five mazurkas, and they are, frankly,
mind-blowing. Halim has internalized the elusive mazurka rhythms
(and there are many rhythmic subtleties to these triple-time dances,
subtleties that were celebrated and fought over in Chopin’s
own time) to the point where they are absolutely convincing:
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