Terrence Wilson
February 13, 2007

In a boldly dynamic recital at the National Academy of Sciences on Sunday afternoon, pianist Terrence Wilson proved he is a studious type of performer who thrives when he is allowed to push his playing to sonic extremes. Wilson had a tendency to favor the louder end of the spectrum; Liszt's "Funérailles" gave him the opportunity to flex his decibel-generating muscles. In his hands, the piece was almost cathartic, with earthy bass chords ringing out with a sharp vehemence and relenting for delicately rendered melodies in the upper range of the piano. His concentrated pianism was well suited to Samuel Barber's flinty Sonata, Op. 26: From the bombastic opening line to the scattering raindrops of ethereal notes, Wilson played with command and directed all his energy effortlessly into the keyboard. Such techniques served him well in Schubert's temperamental Sonata in A Minor, D. 784, where he also explored the Steinway's full tonal range and produced tender, sweet phrases that sounded almost fragile when compared with the rapid cascade of scalar passages.

Haydn's Andante and Variations in F Minor (Hob. XVII:6) had charm and a lyrical quality that emerged in the spry sections. If there was a tad too much pedal at times and a heavy-handed sort of weight to the trills, the warmth and expression with which Wilson played counterbalanced those moments. Wilson produced pretty watercolors in four preludes by Debussy, and especially reveled in the rhythms of "La Cathedrale Engloutie" and the brighter hues of "Minstrels."

- Grace Jean, Washington Post


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