Just back from the National Concert Hall in Dublin.
Mozart: Rondo in A minor K.511
Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 30 in E major op.109
J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations
Jeremy Denk
A superb night. JD's recording of the Goldbergs is really special, so this recital was the first thing I booked when the International series was announced last year. From the very first note of the Mozart it was clear that we were in for a treat. The glorious final movement of the Beethoven was magnificent, with the return of the theme at the end conveying just the right feeling of the same but different.
Good as the first half of the recital was, it was the Bach which stole the show. It's a long time since I've heard pianism of this quality (not since Radu Lupu, possibly). The short pause at the halfway point gave us a chance to catch our breath before the grand sweep of the second fifteen variations. I was on the left side of the hall, with a good view of the keyboard and a chance to appreciate the extraordinary dexterity of the variations with hand-crossing, and certainly numbers 14, 20, 23 and 28 were remarkable. But the overall impression from the evening was one of having been on two great journeys, with the finale of the Beethoven a perfect precursor to the magnificent Goldbergs.
Yes, a superb night.
Mozart: Rondo in A minor K.511
Beethoven: Piano Sonata no. 30 in E major op.109
J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations
Jeremy Denk
A superb night. JD's recording of the Goldbergs is really special, so this recital was the first thing I booked when the International series was announced last year. From the very first note of the Mozart it was clear that we were in for a treat. The glorious final movement of the Beethoven was magnificent, with the return of the theme at the end conveying just the right feeling of the same but different.
Good as the first half of the recital was, it was the Bach which stole the show. It's a long time since I've heard pianism of this quality (not since Radu Lupu, possibly). The short pause at the halfway point gave us a chance to catch our breath before the grand sweep of the second fifteen variations. I was on the left side of the hall, with a good view of the keyboard and a chance to appreciate the extraordinary dexterity of the variations with hand-crossing, and certainly numbers 14, 20, 23 and 28 were remarkable. But the overall impression from the evening was one of having been on two great journeys, with the finale of the Beethoven a perfect precursor to the magnificent Goldbergs.
Yes, a superb night.
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