Brahms: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel
Op. 24
Liszt: 2 Schubert Song Arrangements, Die Forelle
& Ständchen
Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor Op. 39 & Scherzo
No. 4 in E major Op. 54
Very rarely does a critic run out of superlatives to
describe a musician but in the case of 22 year old Simon
Trpčeski we are
in danger of doing so. The brilliance of his last recital
at the Wigmore Hall, in a programme of Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev,
was transparent. If anything, this tougher programme was an even finer
achievement, the range greater, the pianism on a level of sublimity
unmatched by more established pianists who have played at the Wigmore
this year (Kempf and Schiff amongst them). He dazzles critics and audiences
alike and this packed recital is demonstration of his formidable artistic
skills.
Throughout the entire hour he played I was constantly
impressed by the clarity of his phrasing. Not one note seemed muffled
or stressed, the range of his dynamics from the most minimal pianissimo
to the most overwhelming forte balanced with a perfection that
was astonishing. That he also achieved quite stunning use of colour
and tone added to the impression of a pianist whose range seems unquestionably
mature for one so young.
Brahms’ Handel Variations, in the wrong hands, can
sound idiosyncratic but Mr Trpčeski
balanced the trajectory of virtuosity and poetry with equal distinction.
The athleticism of his pianism, nowhere more liberating than in the
closing fugue, never threatened the development of the gentler variations,
such as numbers 11,12 and 21, and his
use of rubato was reined in sufficiently to allow for a natural breath
to appear between the notes. In part, this was due to an instinctive
grasp of rhythm on Mr Trpčeski’s
part which allowed each of the figurations to gather an individuality
of phrasing. The element of contrast was high, with even the
most delicate finger-work overlaid with a total variation of colour.
His Liszt displayed similar virtues, Ständchen
in particular having an exquisite tenderness and poetry. The beauty
of tone seduced the ear, so passionate was the playing, so refined the
sense of touch. Die Forelle was simply a fabulous performance,
literally dripping with the widest spectrum of colour. Mr Trpčeski
turned the keyboard into a shimmering freshwater river, his fingers
touching the keys as if each were a separate palette spreading paint
across a canvas. This was subjective, imagistic pianism that was as
inspired as it was miraculous. Both Chopin Scherzi were
in their own ways brilliant miniatures, No. 3 delivered with powerful
tone and a sustained sense of sombreness, No. 4 with a much lighter
use of colour. Again, there was a dreamlike quality to the phrasing,
and a near ideal balance between the leonine and feline which makes
these works the hybrids they can sometimes seem. If there was a momentary
lapse of tension in the final fantasia of the 4th Scherzo
it all but seemed inevitable after the glories which had preceded it.
This was once again an
enormously impressive recital confirming that Simon Trpčeski
is a formidable talent.
Marc Bridle
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