PCM 7 - 28.08.17: Chopin/Pavel Kolesnikov

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

13:00 Monday 28 August 2017
Cadogan Hall

Frédéric Chopin: Waltz in A flat major, Op. 69 No. 1
Frédéric Chopin: Impromptu in A flat major, Op. 29
Frédéric Chopin: Fantasy-Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op 66
Frédéric Chopin: Fantasy in F minor/A flat major, Op. 49
Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka in A flat major, Op. 50 No. 2
Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka in F minor, Op. 68 No. 4
Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka in B flat major. KK IIa/3
Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka in C major, Op. 56 No. 2
Frédéric Chopin: Scherzo in E major, Op. 54

Pavel Kolesnikov piano

Still in his twenties, award-winning pianist and former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Pavel Kolesnikov has been praised for the sensitivity and maturity of his playing.
Fresh from a critically acclaimed recording of Chopin's Mazurkas, he performs an all-Chopin recital at Cadogan Hall, including the brooding Fantasy, Op. 49, the mercurial Scherzo in E major and the ever popular Waltz in A flat major, Op. 69 No 1, alongside a selection of Mazurkas - one of the forms in which Chopin most deeply expressed his feelings for his Polish homeland.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I know envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but I am guilty - not of envy of the ability to play music that I find too difficult technically, but because musicians of this calibre invariably play from memory.

[bluestateprommer]

Caught this PCM first thing in the morning here. (BTW, the program is a bit tweaked from EA's listing above, with changes to the order of the Mazurkas, for one. The revised program is archived in the Forum Calendar.) Some trepidation at the start, because of what sounded to me like some slightly self-conscious tempi and phrasing in the two waltzes in the first 'set' of this program (the 1st 4 works). It also seemed as though PK didn't let one work quite finish before launching into the next, in that first group of selections. But things seemed to settle down as the recital went along.

PK requested a change to the action of the piano before the Mazurkas. This made for a convenient excuse for Petroc to talk about the New Generation Artists scheme (and to slip in a quick salute to Bruce Forsyth) and to chat with PK. BTW, the concert runs well over the full hour time, so you have to go to the Afternoon on 3 page with the repeat of the CBSO Prom for the rest of this PCM (Petroc just barely avoided getting caught out by the start of the encore):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b092fv69

[Alison]

I know envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but I am guilty - not of envy of the ability to play music that I find too difficult technically, but because musicians of this calibre invariably play from memory.

And I find my ability to memorise music goes down maybe 60 per cent in front of an audience!

[Constantbee]

I know envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but I am guilty - not of envy of the ability to play music that I find too difficult technically, but because musicians of this calibre invariably play from memory.

Did you know ... in some countries (E. Europe, I think) public graded music exams require candidates to play pieces from memory from the preliminary grades. Had a go once but gave up. Much harder

Another much appreciated CH PCM. Sound quality excellent even on my modest equipment at home. Wasn't convinced of the need to change the action on the piano until the E Major Scherzo, when it came into its own - perhaps. Yes, you could tell it was different. Different how? Well, creamier maybe. Finding words to describe what pianos sound like is not easy.

If you're interested in piano technics I can recommend an Austrian documentary (subtitled) called Pianomania. It's about Stefan Knuepfer, Steinway's master tuned in Vienna, and his work with the great and the good.