Prom 45 (10.09.21) - Bach's Goldberg Variations

[edashtav]

Some deliciously inauthentic pedalling near the end. The dynamic gradation - it’s almost impossible to work out how he does it. Is it a tiny bit too pianistic? almost over the top ? Not for me…. That counter melody in the bass in the final restatement - Id never heard it before. It’s magical.
One moment you are gasping at the virtuosity - the next moved by the sheer beauty. I had my doubts about this as a penultimate last night but it seems to fit so wonderfully in this extraordinary season which I , for one , will not forget in a hurry.

I appreciated Koleshnikov’s restraint throughout most of his performance. He abjured most of the pianistic resources at his command, allowing Bach’s music to speak naturally for itself. It was an unassuming, ‘middle of the road’, interpretation that I enjoyed greatly.

[BBMmk2]

An excellent Prom. I certainly don’t mind the non-HIPP events here. It’s on a piano and should be played as such. Not a piano trying to immigrate a harpsichord. The pianist must’ve felt titled after his country-hopping. I felt that this performed a good flow about it.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I appreciated Koleshnikov’s restraint throughout most of his performance. He abjured most of the pianistic resources at his command, allowing Bach’s music to speak naturally for itself. It was an unassuming, ‘middle of the road’, interpretation that I enjoyed greatly.

Do you know the phrase “middle of the road” is the last one that springs to mind ? That description for me would work for say Angela Hewitt even Andreas Schiff but last night Pavel used a whole palette keyboard approaches that you usually hear in late romantic playing . Wild Agogoics , massive rits at phrase end , pulling out of countermelody, heavy pedalling. I loved it but I can see why others might not . I reckon you could put 6 of the best Goldberg’s on disc and play them one after another and not be able to ident the pianist (unless maybe you owned the discs ) - but Pavel would definitely not fall into that category.

[gedsmk]

What were those faint voices, somewhere in the left-channel, audible during the final aria...? Very strange....

..

yes, I'm afraid the engineers had a serious problem with the wires between maybe one microphone somewhere and the mixing desk, or between the final feed and what was saved (for broadcast on Sounds) and transmitted over the internet.
I didn't listen to DAB or FM but on my direct internet feed on the Logitech touch using COAX connection to the hi end speakers at high volume (I like to really hear a Yamaha!) there was a definite problem, especially LH. It sounded as if somewhere another radio station was being picked up. I switched to direct COAX from my computer and it was still there and at the same low level.

Listening on BBC Sounds this morning on a different system you can hear it as soon as the music starts.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Just listened to the opening theme , last couple of variations and end at quite a high level right next to the LHS speaker and can hear general audience noises and some very faint crosstalk on left hand channel . My guess is that the screening on one of the mic cables might just have had a flaw in it . It could then be picking up anything electromagnetically powerful - local mini cabs were the problem in the 80’s . Professional cables have balanced wiring so interference should not be a problem . Sometimes this screening brakes down and , depending on what mic it is and where it’s placed it can be difficult to fix. It’s perfectly possible that In the sound booth it wasn’t audible . I think the engineers at base would have picked it up though . Have to say it was pretty faint - 40 db below peak signal (??) which is why I couldn’t hear it on FM - buried in the noise. Mind you I was watching the tennis at the same time last night …

PS there are some very sharp ears on this forum !

[silvestrione]

I have just got round to this. I liked the way it was re-imagined for the modern piano (some variations fully pedalled, a run turned into a pedalled chord, etc), but was less keen on the rhythmic hesitations. I was rather fascinated by what his fingers were doing (helped by the close miking I suppose), expressively, and in ornamentation, but in the end, felt there was something missing It was like the opposite of Claudio Arrau, who always seemed to play from the centre of his being somewhere, whereas with this pianist it was all in the fingers!