Tanglewood, Lenox, MA
August 22, 2013
by Michael J. Moran
Much buzz has followed the young (22-year-old) Russian
pianist Daniil Trifonov in the classical music world since he won medals at
three international piano competitions in 2010-2011. Local concert goers had a
chance to see what all the fuss is about when Trifonov recently made a
triumphant Tanglewood debut.
Coming on stage he looked stiff, boyish, and even a bit shy.
But as soon as his fingers touched the keyboard, he was a changed man and never
looked back. He luxuriated in the rich sonorities of the first movement and the
restless harmonies of the second in Scriabin’s 1897 Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp
minor. Both its roots in the lyricism of Chopin and its hints of Scriabin’s
later mystical style were carefully balanced in an exquisite performance.
Contrasts were then heightened in a visceral interpretation
of Liszt’s 1853 Sonata in B minor. The slow, portentous opening followed by a
grand, dramatic statement of the second theme set a pattern in which slow
passages were slower than usual, fast were faster, and the dynamic range was
extremely wide. Trifonov’s playing in the fugue was breathtaking, and the
sublime closing notes achieved a rapt stillness.
The second half of the concert was devoted to a dazzling
account of Chopin’s Twenty-four Preludes, Opus 28. Published in 1839, these
miniatures vary from Agtatos and Vivaces that flash past in less than a minute
to several Largos and Lentos which take five minutes or more to unfold.
Trifonov played them without pause, emphasizing their mercurial nature with
solid technique, full-bodied tone, and subtle nuance.
Thunderous applause was rewarded with three encores: two
rarely heard Fairy Tales by Nicolai Medtner, delicately played, and an
arrangement by Guido Agosti of the Infernal Dance from Stravinsky’s Firebird in
an athletic but sensitive rendition.
As Trifonov’s career develops and his artistry matures, it
will be interesting to see how he approaches the core Germanic repertoire by
Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. Meanwhile, this rising star proved at Tanglewood
that he has few peers in the romantic Slavic repertoire with which he seems to
feel most at home.
