There wouldn’t be much argument over the assertion that Grigory Sokolov is
one of the finest pianists on the concert platform today. For many he has
assumed cult status. I have been a devotee for many years since my then
piano teacher introduced me to his recordings in the 1990s. I was fortunate
at that time to hear him twice live in concert, both in a solo recital and
in a concerto. Melodiya recently released a 4 CD box set of the pianist’s
live recordings which I
reviewed a couple of months ago and that I
would wholeheartedly recommend as a companion to this ‘twofer’.
Born in Leningrad in 1950, he gave his first solo performance at the age
of twelve. In 1973 he graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory. Seven years
previously he had won first prize at the Third International Tchaikovsky
Competition in Moscow, where he played the Saint-Saëns Second Piano Concerto
and the obligatory Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto. Since then he has
carved out a distinguished career, his repertoire embracing the classical
and romantic, reaching as far back as Byrd, Couperin and Rameau and forward
to twentieth century composers. As an artist he is self-effacing, focusing
all his intellect and energy on the music rather than on the extraneous
trappings that are part and parcel of the life of a travelling virtuoso. He
is a very private person, some would even say reclusive, who declines
interviews.
In the Piano Sonata Op. 10 No.3, Sokolov displays his Beethoven
credentials to the full with an energized opening movement. It is
large-scaled playing with the pianist having an innate
understanding for the architecture of the piece. However, it is in the
sublime slow movement that he really makes his mark, allowing the
melancholy, tragedy and anguish of Beethoven’s expression of personal grief
to emerge. It is a profound and truly memorable reading. The sadness and
gloom is ameliorated in the
Menuetto that follows. Sokolov finally
lets the light in the capricious
Rondo, based on a teasing
three-note question.
A nicely-paced and eloquently realized Op. 90 in E minor follows, the only
one of the three Beethoven sonatas included described in the booklet as
being recorded live, though both this sonata and Op. 111 are followed by
applause.
Op. 111 is a sonata that Sokolov favours, shows a particular affinity for
and has programmed many times in recital. The first movement opens robustly,
carrying with it the authority of grand gesture. The fugal elements that
follow are articulated cleanly and with clarity. In the
Arietta, he
builds up the variations cumulatively. The movement ends in an atmosphere of
peace and serenity. I compared this performance with two live recordings I
have, one from Bolzano, 8 May 2004 and another recorded in the Grand Hall of
the Moscow Conservatory in 1978 (courtesy of Radio St Petersburg). Heard
through less than ideal sound quality in both these airings, Sokolov takes a
similar interpretative view. The advantage of this Melodiya recording is the
excellent sound quality captured. Despite being a live event, the audience
are respectful and notably quiet, and I hadn’t realized it had been recorded
in concert until the applause at the end.
Scriabin composed his Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, Op. 23 between
1897 and 1898. Many regard it as the most popular of his ten sonatas. A four
movement work, each movement depicts four stages of the soul in the drama of
life’s struggle. Sokolov captures the mood - the drama of the first,
followed by the restlessness of the second. The third movement is imbued
with tenderness, and is delivered with a dream-like intensity.
There's a triumphant finale to crown the work.
Boris Arapov is a composer new to me. Like Sokolov, he hailed from
Leningrad. The Piano Sonata No. 2 is in one movement of angular dissonance.
It is dedicated to the pianist. Sokolov is sensitive to the changes in mood
and the dynamic range of the narrative. The Concerto composed five years
earlier in 1973 is here receiving its second performance, having been
premiered in Copenhagen earlier that year. It is dedicated to Igor
Stravinsky. The opening is atmospheric, with each solo instrument entering
the fray and partaking in a dramatic dialogue. A contrasting
Andante is followed by an energetic finale where all caution if
thrown to the wind. This is a committed performance of a work I would
happily return to.
All the performances here are in more than acceptable sound quality.
Comprehensive booklet notes are in Russian, English and French. It is a
bonus to be introduced to the Arapov works, which I am sure will be little
known.
Stephen Greenbank
Masterwork Index:
Sonata
7 ~~
Sonatas 27
& 32
