When dreams come true on keyboard
Gwen Herat from London's Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a hive of activity where classical music
is presented in depth and variety focussing on piano series. This is a
huge program and seasonal, especially for the approaching winter where I
too feel the bite on this particular evening. This is one of my most
memorable visits as most of my evenings are gloriously spent where
dreams come true on keyboards. It coincide with an event in the life of
one of my favourite composers, Chopin and to watch and hear him being
played by the modern virtuso, is a cherished feeling. I arrived very
early and was able to make a few hurried notes before the curtain arose.
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Cedric Tieberghien |
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Nikolai Demidenko |
Celebrating a Musical Imagination is the theme tonight. It is the
celebration of the bicentenary birth of Chopin with two of his most
understanding interpreters. Some of the most sublime piano music ever
written is performed to night and this series is a master class to lift
man's spirit. The International Piano Series is of the world's most
significant platforms for solo piano recitals. A Chopin Forum and six
pre-concert talks focussing on his musical innovations and his creative
use of past traditions, were some of the highlights last week. An array
of concerts that encompass the intimacy and excitement of piano music,
the International piano series is one of the world's most celebrated and
looked forward to events both by the beginner, professional and music
lovers.
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) lived a very short life that ended when
he was barely thirty nine years old, besieged by romantic failures,
tuberculosis and the pressure of the Revolution. Chopin was able to pack
in some of the world's beloved scores into his pressured life. Born in
Poland, he left his country never to return again. He was half
French-Polish and composed most of his music in France. The best of the
Romantic composes in his era, Chopin's music was soft, gentle and
romantic, much like the composer's characteristics.
One of the best introductions to Chopin is founding the varied
arrangements of his score for ballet, Ies Sylphide, immortalised by
Rudolf Nureyev sane and half centuries later. The ballet remains one of
the best in the world todate and found in all the repertories of ballet
companies. With dozens of choreographers mounting this ballet, no one
changed Chopin's scores because of its infinite grace and magical
quality.
The piano recitals I was able to attend was tonights one by Nikolai
Demidenko and tomorrow's.
Nikolai Demidenko Exploring the boundaries of piano music, this young
Russian pianist has been lauded worldwide for his sensitivity. Full of
imagination and innovation, Chopin has been at the centre of this superb
Russian pianist's career for many years and tonight he performs some of
the lesser-known works including The Bolero and the virtuosic Variations
on La Ci Darem Ta Mano.
The all-Schumann second half includes the composer's tender musical
portrait of friend Chopin Amid the musical caricatures of Carnival.
Demidenko's razor-sharp articulacy and immaculate dexterity are
complemented by the finest musical grace and individuality. He is the
future of the piano and the piano is his iconism. He sails smoothly upon
the glittering transcriptions bestowed upon Chopin.
Cedric Tieberghien This young french pianist is perhaps influenced by
the immensely respected French-Polish virtuso Louis Lortie who too is
billed to perform in the International Piano series at the Royal
Festival Hall. Tiberghien is debuting tomorrow at this Series with a
colourful recital based around the Mazurkas. His stage are Chopin's
Mazurkas which bring together the earthy sounds of Polish folk music
with the refined sensibilities of the Parisian salons. Tieberghien also
includes Mazurkas by Szymanowski and scriabin as well as some others by
the little-known composer, Alexandre Tansman who, like Chopin was born
in Poland but lived in France.
I watched Tieberghien at rehearsal, solo on piano before his
tomorrow's debut an all I can say is that he is spectacular. Plays with
clarity of texture and sense of momentum within stasis that Chopin
surely intended. He caress the keys with unaffected gusto and a powerful
lyrical impulse.
This is the magic that the Royal Festival Hall unleash to quench our
classical musical appetite. |
