“Highest intelligence, extraordinary intensity, subtlety, sophistication and a razor‐sharp sense of time.” — Nottingham Post
”An extremely multi‐faceted, phenomenal musician, who has an endless array of abilities.” — Classical Music Magazine
Chopin – Polonaise in A flat major, op. 53
Chopin – 3 Mazurkas op. 63
Chopin – 2 Valses, op. 64, nos 1 & 2
Chopin – Barcarolle op. 60
Chopin – Sonata No.3, Op.58
Petr Limonov’s candlelit Chopin ignites St James’s for Warren Mailley Smith’s City Music.
A born Chopin player where freedom of Bel Canto and imagination is always with the roots firmly placed in the bass.
Like Argerich or Freire there is freedom of nobility which denies any of the superficiality of the so called ‘tradition’.
Blessed by the Gods they can do no wrong as everything they play lives for that moment of creation depending as much on the audience as on their inborn talent and childhood training.
Christmas is with us and all around St James’s were crowds that resembled rush hour in Hong Kong ! Hard to discern any English as so many languages could be heard of people from all Nations congregating in London with joy in their hearts and dollars in their pockets!
Enjoying a festive London lit up and welcoming with Fortnum and Mason taken by siege and sales enjoying this influx of visitors.
Keep to the left needs to be translated into multi languages if the natives hope to enter or exit their underground!
There are oases however that can be found in the candlelit churches that City Music Promotions fill with much needed favourite classical music. Oft washed down with Champagne to warm even more the cockles of the heart . Both reach places with a universal language where words are superfluous .
Petr has perfected his childhood Russian training in the west with Dmitri Alexeev and Maria João Pires and plays with the mastery that is born in someone where music is their life blood .
Despite influenza and much else Petr found solace in music making that kept a very full church spellbound for an hour of peace and good will amidst the hubbub outside the doors .
A Polonaise that was indeed ‘Heroique’ in these circumstances with a freedom that never overstepped good taste . Moments of calm where deep bass notes kept the ship on the road after a ferocious cavalry had taken us by storm. Counterpoints that shone like jewels within a shimmering texture bringing us to the exhilaration and excitement that we always awaited from Rubinstein.
Mazurkas are considered to be part of the Polish soul and only understood by the natives. It is ,however,a language that speaks to a soul that has no boundaries.It was this freedom and poetic intimacy that found the ideal common denominator in the Chinese soul of Fou Ts’ong ( who had very surprisingly won the Mazurka prize at one of the first Chopin competitions in Warsaw in the 50’s).It also had found a similar soul in Petr Limonov who covered these canons with ravishing flowers.Three Mazukas op 63 were played with a kaleidoscope of colours and emotions with a beguilingly subtle insinuation of nostalgia and yearning . Whispered confessions of op 63 n3 were the answer to the seductive beauty of Chopin’s unique bel canto of op 63 n 2 in F minor .
Two waltzes op 64, joined by an umbilical, where the final note of the Minute waltz shone like a star as the C sharp minor n 2 was allowed to insinuate itself into such scintillating jeux perlé nonchalant brilliance.
The Barcarolle op 60 considered by many to be Chopin’s greatest work for it’s continuous outpouring of song was played with a fluidity and glowing beauty where this very fine Fazioli piano resembled the soft beauty of Chopin’s beloved Pleyel.
The second half was dedicated to Chopin’s B minor Sonata where Petr’s sense of freedom was allied to an architectural shape that gave such nobility to this late masterpiece. Playing the repeat of the first movement as much for his own satisfaction as well as ours, added a good ten minutes to the hour long recital .The Trio of the scherzo was played with a rare sense of fantasy and colour and contrasted with the streams of golden sounds of the Scherzo.A Largo that became a real tone poem before the excitement and exhilaration of the Presto finale
The concert may have over run and the Champagne only a distant warming relief but an ovation was reserved for this dashing young Prince from a public hungry for more ……..music!
A Chopin mazurka of even more insinuating beauty sent us out into the evening fray with our souls now fully replenished
Winner of Nikolai Rubinstein Piano Competition, pupil of Maria João Pires and Dmitri Alexeev, award‐winning British pianist Petr Limonov is increasingly sought‐after both as a soloist and a chamber musician worldwide. His notable appearances include La Roque d’Antheron festival (broadcast by radio France Musique), Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre, Lerici Music Festival, Cadogan Hall, Kings Place, the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, a solo recital in The Duke’s Hall for His Majesty King Charles III, iTunes Festival, TV appearances for BBC Proms Extra, Podium Witteman and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3. His arrangement of the Auld Lang Syne (from Nicola Benedetti’s “Homecoming” album, Decca) was performed in the Albert Hall at the BBC Proms. On the 6th of March 2022, Petr conducted an open‐air orchestral concert in Trafalgar Square, London, in protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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