Russian-born pianists light up Seattle
It was quite a week for Russian-born pianists in Seattle, one an accomplished young phenom, another approaching the status of grandmaster.
The UW President’s Piano Series brought Yevgeny Sudbin to Seattle, and the 27-year-old pianist brought with him the spirits of the underplayed composer Alexander Scriabin and the often-ignored Nikolai Medtner.
Sudbin is not a particularly flamboyant pianist. Rather, he is a wise soul in a young body who steps aside to let the composer’s work shine through whenever he can. In Wednesday night’s recital, the composer who shone brightest was certainly Scriabin; the entire second half of the program was dedicated to his work
The Sonata No. 2 was consciously written as an attempt to capture the visual mood of the seashore at night, and there is no substitute for an expert live performance of this sonic portrait of moonlight. Sudbin brilliantly captured these fits of ecstasy moderated by oases of contemplative beauty.
The famous “Messe Noire,” which ended the program, is dominated by diabolical darkness; but it begins gently, as though the composer were dipping tentatively into curious experiments with sorcery. Sudbin brings out all the magical trills, the dark descending figures, and the clawing chord clusters that make this piece unique and remarkable.
Earlier in the program Sudbin played the Sonata “Remeniscenza” by Medtner, the greatest Russian composer you’ve never heard of. Sudbin’s performance of this wistful, expressive piece, reinforced the notion that this composer is one you should seek out.
Vladimir Feltsman
A veteran of the President’s Piano Series himself, this week Vladimir Feltsman is appearing as the Seattle Symphony’s soloist for a stint of all-Brahms programs. (Thursday and Friday featured the Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Symphony No. 2; Saturday and Sunday feature the Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Symphony No. 4.)
Thursday night’s concert was an unqualified joy. Feltsman has played in Seattle many times, but he has never before been so completely locked into the music. The Brahms concerto begins and ends with the orchestra alone, without the piano, but even in those times when he’s not playing, Feltsman lets the music play him, taking to this supremely Romantic music with every ounce of his being.
It must also be said that throughout the concerto and the symphony that followed, the Seattle Symphony demonstrated that Brahms may be the perfect composer for their sound, with broad strings and winds (particularly the heroic French horns) as the supportive but prominent choir.The Seattle Symphony, conducted by Gerard Schwarz with solo pianist Vladimir Feltsman, repeats Thursday’s performance at 8 p.m. Friday, and plays a different all-Brahms program at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle; $17-$95 (206-215-4747 or www.seattlesymphony.org).