FRIENDS OF MUSIC: VASSILY PRIMAKOV

The combination of a Chopin programme and a pianist with a big reputation attracted an exceptionally large audience to this Friends of Music recital at the Durban Jewish Centre. (Review by Michael Green)

Vassily Primakov is 31 years old. He was born in Moscow and completed his musical studies in the United States, where he has since made a name as a Chopin player, in particular. He is a tall, slender man with a fairly restrained keyboard manner. And in his widely-varied Friends of Music programme, he demonstrated a massive technique and a genuinely poetic approach to the lyricism of the music.

He opened with a rarity, Chopin’s Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 4, written when the composer was 18. It has been completely overshadowed by Chopin’s two later sonatas, but it is an interesting work. It is remarkably mature, considering that it comes from so youthful a composer, and it contains many glimpses of Chopin’s future development as the prince of the piano.

Vassily Primakov delivered the music with great conviction and clarity, especially the nocturnal Larghetto movement.

Three shorter works followed: the Nocturne in F major, Op. 15 No. 1, the Mazurka in C sharp minor, Op. 50, No. 3, and the Waltz in A flat major Op. 42. The waltz was given the full virtuoso treatment, and one of its many subtleties, different rhythms for melody and bass, was to some extent obscured.

The Mazurka was a delight. Chopin wrote 56 of these pieces, based on Polish folk dances. They are a treasure chest of memorable music but seem to have been somewhat neglected on concert programmes. Op. 50, No. 3 is a particularly fine example. It has the authentic spirit of Poland, including the wave motion of the oborek dance, and for good measure Chopin throws in some deft counterpoint. It was all beautifully played.

Then came the bigger, more familiar works: the Ballade No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47, the Scherzo No 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39, the Barcarolle, Op 60, and the B minor Piano Sonata, Op. 58. These were all played with great power and skill. The piano was resonant with the rich harmonies of the Ballade, and I thought the Barcarolle and the sonata produced the best performances of the entire evening. Vassily Primakov displayed a beautiful cantabile tone in the slow movement of the sonata, and throughout this quite long work, he revelled in the lyricism of the music while keeping firm control over the structure as a whole.

At one stage the descending cascades of notes in the C sharp minor Scherzo were greeted with the deafening sound of fireworks, apparently from the nearby cricket ground. The pianist continued gallantly. I imagine that his thoughts were not very complimentary.

In response to a standing ovation from the audience, he gave an unusual encore: Scriabin’s prelude for the left hand alone.

The evening’s prelude performer, funded by the National Lottery, was an excellent baritone, Matteuz Kneblewski, a matric pupil at Kearsney College. Accompanied by Bobby Mills at the piano, he sang an aria from Beethoven’s Fidelio and two songs by the English composer Roger Quilter. He displayed a full, well-trained voice of wide range, and a poised, confident platform manner. Big prospects for the future here, I think. - Michael Green