Grigory Sokolov, Russian pianist great, was performing his yearly recital at the TCE. This time he had selected works by Mozart and Schumann, in a programme cleverly and carefully built. As always, he was playing with almost no light, totally focused, captivating the audience.
Author Archives: MichelE
Neeme Järvi and the ONF at Radio France
After several concerts featuring French and Russian composers, the notable Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi had chosen a Russian only programme, but 2 works of totally opposite atmospheres. He was conducting the ONF at Radio France.
Yuri Temirkanov and the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Lyon
Fall 2016 seems to be the season of Franco-Russian concerts… This time in the Auditorium de Lyon, with the great conductor Yuri Temirkanov and his Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. In a world of permanent change, it is noteworthy that Temirkanov has been the Orchestra Music Director and Chief Conductor since 1988!
Gilbert Amy’s 80th Birthday celebrations: the Hermès Quartet concert
Radio France had the good idea to dedicate a series of concerts to the composer, conductor and pedagogue Gilbert Amy for his 80th birthday.
Having entered his musical world via his excellent 2nd Quartet, Brèves, played by the Pražák Quartet, I favoured the concert given by the young and gifted Hermès Quartet, in the composer’s presence.
Ludmila Berlinskaya, Salle Cortot
Salle Cortot, Ludmila Berlinskaya gave a concert of extremely demanding French and Russian works.
The Russian pianist, who was a privileged partner of the great Sviatoslav Richter, has all technical skills to play this kind of programme, but is also an amazing musician.
Jean-Claude Casadesus conducting the ONF at Radio France
Unusual French & Russian programme at Radio France, with the ONF conducted by Maestro Jean-Claude Casadesus, and the impeccable violinist Sarah Nemtanu as soloist.
Beatrice Rana, Goldberg Variations at the TCE
The “Concerts du Dimanche Matin” at the TCE invited the young Italian pianist Beatrice Rana to play the Goldberg Variations, one of the highest masterpieces of Bach keyboard music.
Vladimir Spivakov and his Moscow Virtuosi at the FLV
The FLV hosted, outside the exhibition Icons of modern art – The Shchoukin collection, a concert with Russian conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov and his Moscow Virtuosi.
They played first Antonio Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in E minor, then a piece added to the programme, Tomaso Albinoni’s Prayer in A minor (Preghiera), dedicated to the victims of terror attacks by Spivakov.
Back to the programme with Gioachino Rossini’s Sonata for strings No. 3, followed by Luigi Boccherini’s Symphony in D minor from op. 12, whose rendition was impeccable. D minor is a scale considered at the minimum as “serious” (cf. Bach’s Art of Fugue), if not dark and tragic (Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet). And Boccherini is a composer too often neglected, who wrote many excellent symphonic or chamber music pieces.
The Hagen Quartet playing Haydn at the Louvre
The Hagen Quartet had been invited by the Auditorium du Louvre and played a programme dedicated to Franz Josef Haydn.
The Austrian quartet was formed in 1981, with 4 brothers and sisters Hagen, coming from Salzburg. During its 35 years of activity they were few member changes, the excellent Rainer Schmidt taking the 2nd violin role in 1987.
Argerich, Kovacevich, Angelich, Capuçon and co
I doubt there ever was such a profusion of pianists on the Philharmonie de Paris stage before that evening: Martha Argerich, Stephen Kovacevich, Nicholas Angelich, the excellent Akane Sakai and Lilya Zilberstein and the Buniatishvili sisters. But pianists were not everything as they were joined by Renaud Capuçon (violin), Edgar Moreau, (cello), and percussionists Jean-Claude Gengembre and Camille Baslé, to play pieces of various format (piano solo, 4 hands, 2 pianos, chamber music…).