I would second everything that TS said about the concert in Basingstoke last night. It was one I had been looking forward to since the new season's brochure came out earlier in the year - and I was not disappointed.
I have to admit I was there to hear Daniil Trifonov play after seeing the documentary on BBC4 last year and knew nothing about the conductor, not being aware he was rising star (although to conduct the Philharmonia with Tifonov as soloist suggests he has to have some sort of track record). He conducted both the opening Tchaikovsky and the concluding Mussorgsky without a score. His technique was obviously not modeled on that of Sir Adrian Boult (for example) but was a performance in its own right. Whatever the means, the results were spectacular. He seemed to be able to get from the PO that rich string sound with lots of bass that is IMHO not very often heard from a British orchestra and which I usually associate with some of the major European orchestras. I don't think it's a feature of the hall, having heard the PO and other orchestras from the same mid stalls location on many occasions, but the woodwind, bassoon in particular, seemed particularly prominent.
As TS suggests Trifonov has an idiosyncratic style of playing not only hunching over the keyboard but also at times sitting bolt upright seemingly immovable with just the fingers moving - but what fingers - seemingly doing nothing other than producing a wonderful intimate, delicate sound from the piano. I didn't have the same close-up view as TS but in the quieter passages Trifonov's fingers seemed to be just stroking the keys - to glorious effect.
I haven't looked at the PO's calendar to see if they have given this concert before but the dialogue between the orchestra and soloist in the concerto could not have been better.
I think I'm in danger of becoming a Trifonov groupie.
It was definitely a night to remember.
I have to admit I was there to hear Daniil Trifonov play after seeing the documentary on BBC4 last year and knew nothing about the conductor, not being aware he was rising star (although to conduct the Philharmonia with Tifonov as soloist suggests he has to have some sort of track record). He conducted both the opening Tchaikovsky and the concluding Mussorgsky without a score. His technique was obviously not modeled on that of Sir Adrian Boult (for example) but was a performance in its own right. Whatever the means, the results were spectacular. He seemed to be able to get from the PO that rich string sound with lots of bass that is IMHO not very often heard from a British orchestra and which I usually associate with some of the major European orchestras. I don't think it's a feature of the hall, having heard the PO and other orchestras from the same mid stalls location on many occasions, but the woodwind, bassoon in particular, seemed particularly prominent.
As TS suggests Trifonov has an idiosyncratic style of playing not only hunching over the keyboard but also at times sitting bolt upright seemingly immovable with just the fingers moving - but what fingers - seemingly doing nothing other than producing a wonderful intimate, delicate sound from the piano. I didn't have the same close-up view as TS but in the quieter passages Trifonov's fingers seemed to be just stroking the keys - to glorious effect.
I haven't looked at the PO's calendar to see if they have given this concert before but the dialogue between the orchestra and soloist in the concerto could not have been better.
I think I'm in danger of becoming a Trifonov groupie.
It was definitely a night to remember.
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