Elisabeth Leonskaya- The oracle speaks
Elisabeth Leonskaya – Beethoven the Trilogy.
“Overwhelming”is the only word possible for what was shared with us at the end of the Wigmore Hall 250 weekend marathon.
An amazing depth of sound and directness of communication that I have only ever heard a similar orchestral sound from Tatyana Nikolaeva.
Magda Tagliaferro and Youra Gulla spring to mind not only because of their sex but also for the power and directness of the composers message “seemingly”impersonal that they transmitted.
It is in fact a great personal statement but devoid of any external contamination.
The words of André Boucourechliev sums it up so succinctly:
“she scaled the heights achieved only by the greatest not just of today,but of an entire epoch”
It was a privilege to be present and Beethoven`s last great statement on the piano sonata will linger for a long time in the mind and souls of a Wigmore audience who turned out in force for this late night treat.
Playing the opening of op 111 with both hands has no importance when they are in the hands of such a visionary as Leonskaya.
What was a revelation was that each was a gradual crescendo:mf,f and ff as Beethoven has been beseeching us (it was pointed out to me by Stephen Kovacevich many years ago.He was a disciple of that other great lady Dame Myra Hess).
It was interesting the diminuendo from the chords to the trill in the opening three exclamations and that the flourish is just a reverberation of the chords and the crescendo to the trill is just relative to this.
What was a revelation was that each was a gradual crescendo:mf,f and ff as Beethoven has been beseeching us (it was pointed out to me by Stephen Kovacevich many years ago.He was a disciple of that other great lady Dame Myra Hess).
It was interesting the diminuendo from the chords to the trill in the opening three exclamations and that the flourish is just a reverberation of the chords and the crescendo to the trill is just relative to this.
Maestoso indeed.Grandioso!
It was quite an eye ..or more to the point…. ear opener.
Such food for thought in a true musical feast last night.
It was quite an eye ..or more to the point…. ear opener.
Such food for thought in a true musical feast last night.
Still digesting………and ready to consult the score and relisten to Agosti’s lecture recital in the private DVD made in the theatre in Rome
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 
Una risposta a "Elisabeth Leonskaya – The Oracle Speaks"