“A musician’s musician of considerable charm…” – Janina Fialkowska
Amit Yahav at the 1901 Arts Club with three works by Medtner, Mozart and Chopin . They may all be of the same duration but of such differing content that Amit played with masterly control and commanding authority
A rarely played Sonata by Medtner quite rightly named ‘Minacciosa’ with a tumultuous outpouring of notes played with remarkable technical mastery but also with a musicianship that could carve it’s way through a maze of notes, playing with an architectural understanding of what many would describe as Rachmaninov without the tunes! Amit carved out the opening motif, that like Rachmaninov’s First Sonata is the leit motif that binds this continuous stream of notes together.A whirlwind of notes played with remarkable conviction and dynamic drive. Even Liszt’s fugato seemed to put in an appearance . Great drama and streams of notes brought this great virtuoso piece to a breathtaking finish. I doubt I could hum or sing anything from the sonata but it was mightily impressive in an empty sort of way .Musical sludge? Some had suggested, but that would not be fair. I think it is us that have to get attuned to a very unique sound world and wade through the massive amount of notes to find the very backbone of a composer who chose to finish his days in Hendon !
An enormous outpouring of notes too in Chopin’s ‘La ci darem ‘ variations that was heralded by Schumann with the arrival of a genius in their midst . Chopin, though, had Mozart to guide his virtuosity and of course his Bel Canto is already glimpsed in the distance too.Originally written for piano and orchestra ,it is more often played as a solo piece which brought luck to Bruce Liu in the last Chopin competition but which was really the reign of Magaloff or Cherkassky. Amit tells me he is making an arrangement for string quartet/quintet that like the concertos can be played in a Chamber music context. A very long introduction where Chopin’s beautiful Bel Canto is glimpsed inbetween a sparkling jeux perlé all played with scintillating bravura by Amit, where his solid musicianship could be tainted with more moments of magic lightness and subtlety. In this piece there is an element of showmanship and teasing almost improvised fantasy where the old world sense of style ( the so called Chopin tradition) was born. Amit’s masterly control was never more evident than in the treacherous leaps of the fourth variation. ‘Con bravura’ Chopin writes and Amit certainly played with that, in a breathtaking exhibition of precision and control. The second variation too had been one long stream of perfectly played notes that Amit shaped with sterling musicianship but he did not show us what fun he should have been having too .Drama and beauty of the fifth showed Amit’s aristocratic nobility and it lead into the final polonaise that was a non stop outpouring of exhilaration and brilliance. A remarkable performance greeted by an ovation where Amit’s brilliance and musical integrity won the day. I could not help thinking, though, that this was modern day playing whereas this early showpiece belongs to the Golden Age of a Rosenthal or Lhevine with a palette of sounds that glistened like jewels that would titivated and energise the senses.
Amit played this show piece with extraordinary dexterity and mastery and the final Polonaise reached dizzying heights of scintillating brilliance. Leaps played with fearless abandon and precision and bubbling elaborations passing with ease from one hand to the other with astonishing brilliance.
But it was the genius of Mozart where many less notes could say so much more . The A minor Sonata written shortly after the death of his mother and together with the C minor Sonata are the only two of his eighteen sonatas that are in the minor key.
Amit played with a poignant simplicity and extraordinary clarity with a driving rhythmic urgency to the outer movements. But it was the Andante that Amit played with a burning intensity and beauty that revealed the genius of Mozart. Amir chose a classical palette of sounds that gave great weight and importance to this masterpiece
It was though the final piece in the recital played as an encore that ignited Amit’s imagination as he discovered magical sounds out of which Glinka’s ‘Lark’ was given golden wings by Balakirev . Magic was in the air as Amit allowed the music to take flight with ravishing beauty and sounds of another age, that his masterly musicianship had chosen not to use until this glorious farewell.
| Amit Yahav returns to the 1901 Arts Club with a recital of music by Medtner, Mozart and Chopin. Turmoil and tension are at the heart of this music. Medtner’s Sonata Minacciosa – the menacing sonata – was composed in 1930, and is very much inspired by the political turbulence of the time. This rarely performed work is one of the finest examples of the capabilities of this slightly less known composer. Mozart’s Sonata in A minor occupies a special place in his oeuvre, written around the time of his mother’s sudden illness and death in Paris. Its themes presage the music he will go on to write at some of the most difficult moments in his life. Finally, the work that brought Chopin to fame and inspired Schumann to exclaim: “Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!”. Chopin took one of the best music from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and turned it into a virtuosic feast of variations, imbuing it with emotions ranging from utter despair, to boundless joy. Come and experience this special programme under the hands of a Chopin specialist. | Programme N. Medtner Sonata “Minacciosa,” Op.53 No.2 W. A. Mozart Piano Sonata in A minor, K.310 F. Chopin Variations on “Là ci darem la mano,” Op.2 “A musician’s musician of considerable charm…” – Janina Fialkowska |
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 