By Richard Lynde
Along with our record water shortages, for several years now we’ve been living through a drought of young, local classical keyboard talent who delight in showing the public just how really good they are. This musical shortage ended Saturday evening, January 11, at the Peace United Church of Christ (formerly the First Congregational) in Santa Cruz, when 17-year-old Tyler Hayford, a junior at Pacific Charter School, performed a most satisfying, often brilliant, recital in the music of
J. S. Bach, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff. In this program, he proved himself a most worthy “successor” to the teen-aged Aaron Miller of Aptos and Chetan Tierra of the San Lorenzo Valley from way back in the 1990s.
The occasion, conceived by Hayford and fellow Pacific Collegiate School students, and sponsored by several individuals such as Vlada Moran, his former piano teacher and current organ instructor, Distinguished Artists Concert Series Director John Orlando, members of the Santa Cruz Chamber Players in honor of celebrating youth alumnus, was a benefit for Typhoon Haiyan Relief, and the event was introduced by Rose Guerrero of the Watsonville Filipino Association, who reminded us of the continuing, urgent need for donations to aid the millions still homeless and without resources since the devastating storm of early November 2013.
Hayford, our prize winning keyboard wizard, now former first chair viola of the Santa Cruz County Youth Orchestra, and also a church organist, opened with a couple Preludes and Fugues from Bach’s Book I of the “Well-Tempered Clavier” (1722) – “No. 16 in G Minor” very introspective, with great delicacy, bringing forth the rich, warm tone of the splendid Yamaha CFX grand (which one pianist likened to “driving with power steering for the first time”), all sounding easy and natural. Then on to “No. 4 in E Flat Major,” a lengthy masterpiece, containing a “Siciliano,” in tribute to French composer Francois Couperin.
The Beethoven four movement “Sonata #15 in D Major, Op. 28 “ (“Pastorale”) had moments of magic, an often witty and charming character that in Hayford’s hands sprang forth with the freshness of real Spring, as in the composer’s “Pastorale” Symphony. The second movement’s military march was put across with a childlike innocence. Movement III “Scherzo” (was) handled by Hayford with ease and humor. The concluding “Rondo” was presented as glorious/victorious, with majestic flourishes in some of Beethoven’s greatest humor.
The Rachmaninoff “Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 36” (1931-revised edition) opened with lots of quick and devilishly difficult notes, which were perfectly executed with wonderful pedaling and golden tone in its trademark melting Russian romanticism. Indeed, throughout the piece, with Hayford’s breathtaking ease of execution and fabulous sound production, I thought back to when, in February of 1958, the young Van Cliburn had won the First International Tchaikovsky Competition. I imagined Tyler Hayford in a few years as the winner of this and/or other big piano prizes. Or, like great keyboard artists such as Kissin and Volodos, he could make it big on his own. He’s already that good. My only suggestion is for more audience contact, which will draw in his listeners even more.
Meanwhile, locally, let’s hope that he follows in the now distant footsteps of Aaron Miller and Chetan Tierra, being selected by Music Director Daniel Stewart as piano soloist with the Santa Cruz County Symphony. Tyler Hayford deserves a wider audience.