Pedro on his way to Warsaw was invited to play some of the works that he will present in the 19th International Chopin Competition next week. The main works being two of the greatest masterpieces ever written for the piano. The Barcarolle op 60 and the Sonata in B flat minor op 35, surrounded by miniature masterpieces : Nocturne op 62 n. 2 ,Waltz op 34 n.1, Étude op 25 n. 11 ( Octave ) and finishing ( officially) with the youthful Andante Spianato e Grande Polonaise Brillante op 22. Unofficially we were rewarded with the Polonaise Héoique op 53 that I have not heard played with the same aristocratic authority and exhilaration since Rubinstein.
The Nocturne was played with refined elegance but also a passionate outpouring from a soul full of ravishing sensitivity. Pedro’s playing needs no projection as his palette of colour and supreme sensitivity to the harmonic layers of sound draw the public in to him ,enticed like the Pied Piper by such opulant beauty. The opening of the Waltz ( another favourite of Rubinstein) was played with elegance and style rather than a brash declamation. Jeux perlé just poured from Pedro’s fingers with enticingly embracing streams of multicoloured sounds where the sudden contrast in dynamics was of a pianist from the Golden Age when technical perfection meant a supreme Bel Canto as was Chopin’s inspiration.
The Barcarolle op 60 surely ,Chopin’s most perfect creations, which is a song from beginning to end. Chopin’s ‘Lied von der Erde’, from the opening C sharp that just illuminates the sounds that will follow and close this marvel with the four final chords. Inbetween Pedro played with delicacy and poetic beauty that did not exclude passion and seduction, but all in the shadow of the Venice that was in Chopin’s imagination. Magic sounds played with superb clarity and subtle beauty with Pedro’s masterly use of the pedals, that was to be admired throughout the recital. A kaleidoscope of unexpected colours of delicacy and simplicity created this extraordinary sound world with so many different layers that it was like a flower opening and blossoming before closing. The Étude op 25 n. 11 was conceived as waves of horizontal sounds rather than the more mundane verticality we usually suffer! Maybe a little too much pedal but strangely enough Pedro played the central episode with such refined pedalling that it went unnoticed, such was the musically inspired perfection, that contrasted so well with the outer more dramatic episodes. I have never heard this central episode sound so beautiful and instead of waiting for the re-entry of the octaves I wanted this marvel to continue for much longer! Re creation can be so stimulating from the hands of a true poet!
The Sonata in B flat minor that Schumann described as one of Chopin’s craziest children was given a masterly performance . The much discussed repeat ,like all great pianists, was just ignored as the opening motif was allowed to be developed as only the genius of Chopin could contemplate with such originality.There was again whispered beauty in the second episode of the ‘Scherzo’ where Pedro drew us in to hear harmonic marvels unfolding beneath the beauty of bel canto. A sombre ‘seemingly’ expressionless ‘Funeral March’ with its barely whispered Trio where Pedro suddenly allowed the cloud to pass and we got a momentary glimpse of the paradise that was awaiting to finish this remarkable movement. The ‘wind over the graves’ was played with superb control and above all masterly pedalling that made these washes of sound have the personality of the ‘mad children’ that Schumann had mentioned. Schumann not having realised to what heights the Genius he had recognised from Chopin’s first appearance could lead to! The Andante Spianato was played with masterly control and the refined subtle beauty that we had experienced throughout this recital .There was subtle phrasing to the mazurka episode that I have never heard played so convincingly . Passion and energy too from this young Spaniard with fire in his veins , but even in the most exhilarating passages it was the poetic content that shone like a golden star and illuminated all he did. A much requested encore – not least from Ing.Paolo Fazioli was treated to a performance of ‘the’ Polonaise op 53 where even the wondrous cavalry were given a sense of direction and a voice of Patriotic revelation not only revolution !
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 