4th November, 2014
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, United Kingdom
SCHUBERT 6 Moments Musicaux
MAHLER Symphony No. 5 - Adagietto (transcribed by Alexandre Tharaud)
COUPERIN 5 pieces
RAVEL Miroirs
Alexandre Tharaud (piano)
When was the last time you were so absorbed by a performance (music or otherwise) that you completely lost the sense of time? I know his playing style quite well, but listening to Alexandre Tharaud live is transcendental, and this was a strikingly unusual, powerful and original programme. One would realise how vacuous most so-called virtuosos in the business are when one hears him play. There were all the classical grace in Schubert's "Moments Musicaux" and his signature clarity, control and wit in the Couperin pieces, encompassing everything from the joyful, vivid and militant to the tranquil, introspective and deliberately understated beauty - all played on the same Yamaha. Everything was thoughtful and extremely sensitive, so delicate that it was on the verge of being brittle. His own unrecorded transcription of the "Adagietto" from Mahler's "Fifth Symphony" was breathtaking, in which he managed to generate and sustain the seamless serenity of the music on the keyboard almost effortlessly, making the piece completely fresh and full of heartfelt passion. Ravel's "Miroir" was never overdone, and he used silence just as outstandingly as his virtuosity, which was never showcased just for the sake of it. It was astonishing that the resonance of a single note at the beginning of "Oiseaux tristes" could be so powerful in the 40%-full QEH. "Une barque sur l'océan" was captivating by default, only more potent live when one gets to hear all the arpeggios so clearly played on the left-hand. The encore was Scarlatti's famous D minor, as if Couperin's "Le Tic-Toc-Choc" and Ravel's "Alborada del gracioso" were insufficient to demonstrate that he was able play repeated notes at lightning speed with unbelievable lightness, control and clarity. PHEW and WOW, to conclude succinctly.
This entry was originally published in my private Instagram account.
