Tuesday 12 October 3.00 pm
Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C Op 2 no 3
Allegro / Adagio / Scherzo / Allegro
Brahms: Piano sonata in F minor Op 5
Allegro / Andante / Scherzo / Intermezzo / Finale
A wonderful recital by a superb pianist and a delightful human being, as well ! Here is the HD link https://youtu.be/J1_eyTS8Ggw
From the lightness and driving rhythms of young Beethoven in op 2 n.3 to the monumental passion and sheer orchestral texture of the Brahms F minor sonata.This was playing of masterly musicianship with an orchestra at her fingertips but the music always anchored from the bass that allowed her such freedom without ever loosing the architectural shape of these two monumental sonatas.
There was a lightness to the opening of the Beethoven and a sense of contrasts but also ravishing charm and shape.An Adagio full of mystery and fantasy of a disarming simplicity as the bass conversed so eloquently with the treble as the untroubled waters gently accompanied .A featherlight scherzo of great precision with washes of colour over a mellifluous bass in the trio.There was lightness and sheer joy in the Allegro assai last movement.
A monumental performance of the Brahms F minor in which it was the seemingly short Intermezzo that was so memorable for the innocence mixed with menace and the ravishing washes of colour – it was an absolute jewel of transcendental control and being able to say so much with so little.
The subdued opening of the Andante had made the ravishing colours in the poco più lento even more astonishing.It was like a great improvisation as she found such ravishing beauty joining the episodes together like a voyage of discovery until she finally arrived at the breathtaking beauty of the Andante molto espressivo.The spread chords at the end were played with ravishing colour suddenly igniting into the Scherzo of scintillating energy and forward movement.
It was wonderful to watch from the opening movement how she moved like a hawk over the keys as she brought great rhythmic control to the monumental opening statement.
I was not immediately convinced of her change of tempo for the more lyrical passages but her overall architectural understanding made me aware that this was a momentary relaxation of tension that she made so convincing as a whole .The last movement too was played with lightness and ravishing contrasts .Her staccato and legato playing produced colours of ravishing beauty and the choral melody was played in a very subdued manner as it built to a tumultuous climax that was indeed breathtaking.The final più mosso far from sounding like the usual Irish gig was given a performance of orchestral texture on which the great choral melody emerged as the excitement accelerated to the explosion of the massive full sound that she found for the final great climax of this monumental work.
The Intermezzo in A major op 118 was played with half lights of searing intensity and beauty that only a great artist could know how to share such intimate feelings in public.
Anna Tsybuleva shot into the international spotlight in 2015 when she won First Prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition. She received wide critical acclaim for her winning performance, and was described as “A pianist of rare gifts: not since Murray Perahia’s triumph in 1972 has Leeds had a winner of this musical poise and calibre” (International Piano Magazine). She took her first piano lessons with her mother at the age of 6, before attending the Shostakovich Music School in Volgodonsk aged 9. From age 13, she continued her studies at the Moscow Central Music School and the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, when she won the Grand Prix of the International Gilels Piano Competition(2013), and top prizes from the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (2012) and Takamatsu International Piano Competition (2014). After graduating from Moscow in 2014 with the coveted award for ‘Best Student’, she studied at the Hochschule für Musik Basel. She has since combined her international career with post-graduate studies at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire. Her debut recital in 2017 recording received universal praise, and she has recently recorded the Brahms concerto, and will record a Chopin recital. She has given recitals in many of the most prestigious venues throughout the world, and is fast emerging as one of the finest pianists of her generation. She is proud to be a part of the Yamaha Artist family, and grateful to Yamaha for their kindness and support
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 