Rachmaninov
Preludes;
Op 23 Nos 1-7
Op 32 Nos 10, 12 & 13
Evgeny Kissin, piano
29 March 2018, Barbican Hall, London
*************
No-one ever accused Evgeny Kissin of
understatement. His technique is prodigious, his dynamic range a match
for the largest of halls, and his piano most definitely has hammers.
Indeed for all the obvious wonders to expect, I approached
this latest recital with some trepidation. When last heard at the Barbican, Kissin
murdered a couple of Beethoven sonatas with an unremittingly aggressive
attack and unclear structural command.
What was painful on that occasion
turned out considerably better in the Hammerklavier. This 50 minute sonata
exercised Beethoven for a year and is written with such scale and ambition that any performance is an event. It carries great dangers of
fatigue for performer and listener alike. I have heard many
performances where the overwhelming impression on reaching the fugal finale was that the pianist had
made all their expressive points and was just trying to survive to the
end.
So let it be said that in Kissin's hands the finale of the Hammerklavier was the pinnacle of the evening and quite unforgettable. I have never heard such definition and projection in recital. It was an extraordinary intellectual feat from this pianist.
So let it be said that in Kissin's hands the finale of the Hammerklavier was the pinnacle of the evening and quite unforgettable. I have never heard such definition and projection in recital. It was an extraordinary intellectual feat from this pianist.
Earlier on, Kissin’s fantasy-like approach
to Beethoven interpretation worked well in this monumental yet strange work. Kissin treated the epic 20 minute slow movement with sustained
emotion and care, but was content to take a more episodic approach to the first
two movements. Structurally, Kissin is not one of the masters, but his
matter-of-fact but highly cultured approach to phrasing was most effective.
With Rachmaninov Preludes for the second
half Kissin was on home territory. His approach to each was focused and technically dazzling. Yet, surprisingly, he did not seem entirely inside this music and the group did not add up to something more than its
parts. And of course there were many encores for a increasingly enthusiastic audience. Amongst offerings of
Scriabin, Tchaikovsky and more Rachmaninov, most arresting was Kissin’s
own jazz-flecked Toccata.
 |
| Evgeny Kissin |
