SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL CONCERT  REVIEW

Schubert, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov: Martha Argerich (piano) and Alexander Mogilevsky (piano), Laeiszhalle Hamburg, 3.12.2009 (TKT)

Schubert: Rondo in A major, op. 107 (D. 951)

Prokofiev: Cinderella, op. 87, Concert Suite from the Ballet (transcribed by Mikhail Pletnev)

Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker, Concert Suite from the Ballet, op. 71a (transcribed by Nicolas Economou)

Rachmaninov: Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos, op. 17

Martha Argerich first drew the attention of an international audience more than half a century ago. For about half of that time she has devoted herself to chamber music. Combining a fierce temperament and intelligence with an uncanny virtuosity, she can bring music to life and convey an excitement that is infectious. Having long since become a legend as one of the great pianists of all time, she not simply treads familiar paths but is always willing to try something new – and to play with ever new partners, be they pianists, cellists, or violinists. At times she has shown a preference for more intellectually inclined musicians. Her latest partner, Alexander Mogilevsky, a Ukrainian-born pianist who at 15 years of age was the first winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Pianists in 1992, is certainly someone who has been noted for his cerebral and idiosyncratic approach to music. The evening, however, was anything but an intellectual exercise – it was intoxicating.

In 1828 Schubert was in the final stage of syphilis. The year of his death was also one of remarkable creative output: Schubert wrote the Great C major symphony, three sonatas, the F minor fantasy for piano duet, several lieder, and the Grand Rondo in A major for two pianos. A commissioned work by his publisher, the Rondo does not express the agony the composer was going through. It has a simple principal theme, songlike, light, and at times idyllic in its development, which the pianists interpreted without sentimentality but fully bringing out the dreamlike quality of this pleasant piece. They played with an inward direction – while still communicating with each other.

The dream continued with Mikhail Pletnev’s transcription of Prokofiev’s Cinderella suite. It is the dream of romantic, pure love which the composer set to music during the war years of 1940–44. Close to the original, Pletnev’s work – which he dedicated to Argerich – has a wide range of moods. After pain as well as happiness in the “Introduction”, the “Quarrel” between the two stepsisters is so vivid, the audience erupted in spontaneous applause. “Cinderella’s Waltz” became a dialog between two pianists who were remarkably in sync with one another, even as they freed themselves from the prison bar lines of meter. Particularly impressive was “Gallop,” where the Prince travels the world to find Cinderella – an intense movement of restlessness and longing before the dream becomes reality in the “Valse lente” and the passionate “Finale.”

Argerich/Mogilevsky not only displayed a great sense of drama but also succeeded in employing the many registers of their pianos to bring out the different instruments of the original. This was equally true for the Cypriot composer Nicolas Economou’s transcription of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” suite. While the woodwinds cannot really be imitated on a piano, there were passages where you were convinced you were listening to a glockenspiel, a triangle, cymbals, a celesta, or a harp. Overplayed as “Nutcracker” is, audiences clearly don’t tire of it, especially in the pre-Christmas season. Argerich and Mogilevsky may have missed the opportunity to play a composition rarely heard in concert halls, but their performance was a Christmas wish fulfilled.

The duo also produced the full orchestra-like sound of the piano effectively in Rachmaninov’s Suite for Two Pianos, composed at the turn of the 20th century. Complex and expressive (especially “Romance”) and full of contrasts, the piece sounds very modern at times and then again takes on that indulging and nostalgic quality so typical of Rachmaninov. No wonder the audience was ecstatic. The encores by Brahms, Ravel, and Gershwin ended a memorable recital.

Thomas K Thornton