In the press

Óbidos, 8 July 2024

Xavier Rivera

The small medieval town of Óbidos, in Portugal, which preserves its entire wall and a considerable part of its castle intact, hosts, in addition to its cheerful tourists, several cultural activities, the most prominent being the International Piano Week (SIPO), active since 1996. Many pianists have participated in this initiative through a “masterclass” format, cherished by Alfred Brendel, in which students present their interpretations successively to different renowned artists. This format, a true luxury, seeks to avoid the dogmatism that a traditional lecture might induce and allows young performers to reflect on the various criteria that can honestly serve a single musical composition. Among the illustrious names who have attended these courses are Paul Badura-Skoda (a regular until his final days…), Dmitri Bashirov, Helena Costa, Jörg Demus, Vitaly Margulis, Luíz de Moura Castro, Mikhaïl Pethukov, Pierre Réach, Boris Bloch, Boris Berman, Josep Colom, Artur Pizarro, Eugen Indjic. In short, the crème de la crème of pianists from the 20th and 21st centuries.

The lessons are interspersed with performances by the professors, and yesterday we had the privilege of attending one by Manuela Gouveia, the artistic director and guiding spirit of this essential initiative.

Sharing with her illustrious Portuguese elder, Maria João Pires, a frail, discreet appearance tinged with humility, Gouveia immediately contradicts this with the emotional intensity of her performance. But while Pires charms us with her magical phrasing and emotional flashes, Gouveia begins by clearly and lucidly sketching out the structural lines, only to later bombard us with the most diverse questions: why this surprising modulation, why this bold counterpoint, why this incisive accentuation? All this in a richness of colours and a captivating sound that transforms the piano into a myriad of varied instruments, of diverse and vibrant voices. Her programme also included works suggesting enigma and compositional speculation.

Starting with Haydn’s “Variations in F Major,” written when the composer discovered the English piano makers Longman & Broderip and Broadwood, whose rich resonances anticipated the Romantic piano in contrast to the mechanical lightness and airy sound of Viennese pianos, the sound unfolded in waves of uncommon richness, with declamation of exquisite clarity and transparency. This was followed by Arnold Schoenberg’s “Six Piano Pieces, op. 19,” written in 1913, seeking to avoid any “pathos.” The pianist transported us through six condensed states of mind: from a piercing cry to a brief moment of happiness, passing through restrained but no less intense lyrical effusions.

This constant dialogue with the composers’ thoughts and the questioning of interpretative convictions – or conventions – allowed us to hear well-worn pieces anew, as if they were brilliant improvisations. Echoes of the qualities and creativity of Beethoven’s improvisations were unmistakable. Yesterday, Gouveia herself seemed to improvise, such was the freedom she achieved as a performer. Listening to her in the variations of the Sonata op. 109, I could not help but recall Thomas Mann’s brilliant description in “Doktor Faustus” of Beethoven’s opus 111 variations, which lead the listener to a state where dream and reality blend, and imagination knows no bounds.

Bartók’s “Suite op. 14” concluded an unforgettable evening. Written in 1916, during World War I, it also seeks to avoid the excesses of post-Romanticism through exuberant rhythmic and melodic imagination. Bartók claimed the work contained no folkloric elements, despite the important research he was conducting at the time. Among his works, this was the one he most willingly performed in concert. Gouveia once again confirmed the inexhaustible richness of her expressive palette. An evening that could be summarised as the most sincere confession of an unparalleled musician.

General-Anzeiger, Bonn

Manuela Gouveia shares with her illustrious Portuguese colleague Maria João Pires a frail, discreet appearance tinged with humility. Immediately contradicted by the emotional intensity of her performance. But where Pires charms us with her magical phrasing and her emotional flashes, Gouveia immediately sets the scene where the structural lines of force are traced in a clear and limpid way to then pester us with the most heterogeneous questions: why this surprising modulation, why this bold counterpoint, why this lacerating accent? All in a wealth of colors and in a captivating sound that transforms the piano into a myriad of varied instruments, diverse and colorful voices.

General-Anzeiger, Bonn

A great piano talent – Manuela Gouveia’s strong interpretative temperament, her highly intense approach, and her refined art of dynamic shading, employing all the resources of the modern piano.

Jornal de Notícias, Porto

This distinguished pianist… one of our most accomplished keyboard artists, in a truly remarkable performance. The warm and sweet phrasing, a hallmark of Manuela Gouveia. The unmistakable music flowed from the prodigious fingers of Manuela Gouveia as only great performers are capable of producing.

Hamburger Abendblatt

Manuela Gouveia impressed from the very first note with the impeccable clarity and radiant balance of her flowing playing, her refined sense of form, and her highly developed tonal sensitivity.

Diario 16, Sevilla

Manuela Gouveia provided an excellent opportunity to appreciate the high interpretative level of Portuguese piano performance… the elegance and meticulous care in sound projection… the undeniable beauty of these pieces was conveyed and expressed by Manuela Gouveia through a commendable effort to faithfully unravel the creative intricacies of the composer.

Stuttgarter Zeitung

In Falla’s “Fantasia Bética,” Manuela Gouveia brought together everything that defines her playing: fantasy, a southern temperament, and considerable virtuosity.

A Ordem

The three prose poems, highly interesting pieces of admirable pianistic writing, to which Manuela Gouveia gave full prominence and originality… the three études and Debussy’s suite were exceptionally well performed… Outstanding were the veiled sonorities, the colourful effects, the play of nuances, the total fusion of technique and mechanics with talent and interpretative ability.

General-Anzeiger, Bonn

Audible was a Chopin full of depth and precision, far from any sentimental or passionate effects, yet also devoid of any pianistic vanity… Particularly outstanding was her Debussy, both precise and finely nuanced, highly expressive.

O Comércio do Porto

Beethoven, one of the musical creators for whom Manuela Gouveia seems particularly destined… the Rondo op. 129 was admirable in revealing all its nuances… the Sonata op. 109 was exquisite – with tasteful exposition and a demonstration of truly Beethovenian sonorities in all three movements.

Die Welt, Hamburg

With a keen sense for tonal differentiation, Manuela Gouveia displayed the full range of her considerable skill.