SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

 

Suk, Chopin, Dvořák: Evgeny Kissin (piano); London Philharmonic Orchestra/Neeme Järvi. Royal Festival Hall, London. .6.10.2010 (CC)

 

Suk: Scherzo fantastique, Op. 25

 

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21

 

Dvořák: Symphony No 9 in E minor, Op. 95, ‘From the New World’

 

Evgeny Kissin continues to draw in the crowds. My personal experience of him has been decidedly mixed. At one extreme (a Barbican recital in 2006), he seemed so dissociated from the music he was playing that it was like hearing an alien play; here, mercifully, is the other extreme. Or perhaps Kissin is just maturing. Whichever, the results were electrifying. He remains off-putting to watch – his bodily movements are stiff, yet frequent, but his fluency, his use of true pianissimo and his grasp of Chopin’s subtleties of part-writing were a continual sense of joy. At first it seemed as if Kissin was going to over-project his right-hand, but this soon settled (the orchestra, too, had problems settling, with an orchestral exposition that contained little or no sense of drama, and virtually no sense of ‘give’ to the second subject). What emerged as the performance went on was a sense of dialogue between soloist and orchestra, a dialogue continued in the mesmeric Larghetto. Here, Kissin’s magnificently sensitive touch came into its own. He found more drama than most; also (particularly in the octave recitatives) the world of Bellini did not seem too far away, given Kissin’s sense of cantabile. A pity the end was ruined by unstifled coughing.

 

Kisisn found melancholy in the finale. His only downfall here was the passage against col legno strings, which lacked charisma. A slight orchestral misalignment threatened to mar the end, but not enough to spoil the true sense of occasion Kissin had established. The encore was generous – more Chopin, this time the Scherzo in B flat minor.

 

Suk’s Scherzo fantastique, Op. 25 (1903) is a relative rarity and its appearance here as concert opener was most welcome. It predates Suk’s most famous work, his Asrael Symphony, by only a couple of years. In simple tripartite ABA form, it includes some delicious themes, especially a cello tune that positively glowed in Järvi’s secure hands. Much of the playing was appropriately cheeky, although clouds are present in this piece and Järvi ensured they were felt sonically. The delicate, more relaxed middle section contained many moments of wonderful scoring (in particular, skilful use of the harp); the cello chorale near the end of the piece provided yet another moment of magic. A magnificent performance of a piece that needs more frequent airing on our concert platforms.

 

The second part of the concert was Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony. In direct contrast to the Suk, this is a concert favourite. It takes a conductor with charisma to persuade hardened professionals to play this score as if newly-minted, but somehow that’s exactly what Järvi did. Perhaps it is contextual (not only the Suk, but also the forthcoming Dvořák choral concert on Saturday), but a fresh breeze blew its way seductively through this reading. The strings were strong and deeply sonorous, and here the sense of orchestral drama lacking in parts of the Chopin was present. Perhaps the development section’s fire went out a little, but there was no sagging in the Largo. The brass worked as a magnificently velvety unit, and Sue Bohling’s wonderfully evocative cor anglais solo was superbly phrased. The woodwind ensured the central panel provided fine contrast. Energetically, the Scherzo was the most exciting movement; the finale was notable for Järvi’s skilful elucidation of textures (again, there was a slight lowering of tension at one point). Despite the couple of temperature drops, this remains a reading of integrity and poise. Saturday’s concert is eagerly anticipated.

 

Colin Clarke

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