Pianist Evan Shinners is being promoted as a Bach pianist who supposedly stands out by bringing a fresh, improvisational sensibility to the composer and adopting an informal performing persona aimed more at club hoppers than concertgoers. Certainly he has facile fingers and lots of energy, yet the casual ambience of these live performances permeates Shinners’ workmanship.
Besides obvious wrong notes that ought to have been corrected, the playing abounds with overdone dynamic shifts, exaggerated voicings, and crude accentuations, not to mention awkwardly executed overpedalings, filled-in chords, and octave transpositions (the Partita’s Menuets). All of this lessens the impact of his ornaments, which are actually quite stylish and imaginative.
The concerto comes off in a more forthright and direct manner, and I like the rawness and rhythmic drive delivered by the Juilliard students that comprise Shinners’ little orchestra. Still, you’ll find equal spirit yet infinitely more polish and attention to detail in piano versions from Gould, Schiff, Hewitt, and Perahia. Drab sonics and a poorly tuned piano don’t help Shinners’ cause. In any event, by the time you finish reading this, the novelty will have worn off.
