BY WENDY ZHANG
Yulianna Avdeeva performs Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Opera House, 17 May
Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva captured the spirits and essence of Chopin’s music through her expressive, colourful, and heart-rendering performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1; and Russian conductor Andrey Boreyko led an energetic performance of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Brahms’ Piano Quartet in G minor in the second half of the concert.
The concert started with Polish contemporary composer Krzysztof Meyer’s Hommage à Johannes Brahms. As this piece was a tribute to Brahms, the orchestra played the musical transcription of his name (B flat, D, A, B, E, E flat) throughout the piece – first the flutes, then the oboes. What an ingenious idea to pay homage to someone by having his name transcribed in the music! The drums added intensity to a turbulent opening. The cellos and double basses played very low bass notes repeatedly, which intensified this feel in the music. Percussion instruments added colour– tubular bells and cymbals were noted, in particular.
After the first performance, the star of the evening – Yulianna Avdeeva – appeared on stage in an elegant dress. The first violinist opened the first movement with the familiar melody, followed by the strings. After the elaborate intro, Yulianna started playing without hesitation – a majestic and resonate opening. The sound on her higher registers was like crystal – each note played with clarity, sensitivity, and expression. The descending scales in third were charming. Her speed was steady and in control, even in fast running passages. When played with the orchestra, Yulianna wasn’t dominating but still stole all the attention with her distinct sound. Her music was clean and pure – so much so that I felt chills down my spine, and connected to her music straight away.
The second movement (Romanze) was the highlight of the concert. Yulianna opened with intense emotions and expressiveness, accompanied beautifully by the strings. The soft section sounded like a music box – enchanting and sensual as Yulianna played the melody, accompanied by bells in the percussion section. At interval, several people around me commented on how much they enjoyed this movement. The familiar theme returned in Yulianna’s robust third movement. She played fast running passages with technical brilliance. The audience loved it so much that they brought her back to play an encore piece – Chopin’s Nocturne in C sharp minor, composed in the same year as his Piano Concerto No. 1.
The second part of the concert featured Brahms’ Piano Quartet in G minor, and Boreyko led an energetic and refreshing performance of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In the first movement, the orchestra built up the momentum through a long crescendo, emotionally and dynamically. It was intense – like a dark storm approaching – but it never quite got to the climax that I was expecting. The second movement was animated and lively, with violins, cellos, and double basses following each other like questions and answers. In the fourth and final movement, the strings opened vigorously, followed by some enchanting sounds from cymbals, xylophone, and gongs.
Throughout this piece, Boreyko’s conducting was passionate and lively through his wild body movements. He would repeat circular movements to make waves through his arms and hands, like he was shaping a ceramic vase or playing tai chi. He shrugged his shoulders each time the orchestra played the B, B flat, and B in the final movement –revealing his unique method of communication with the orchestra. He would imitate the movements of playing each individual instrument (blowing the wind instrument, beating the drums, playing the strings, and keying the percussions) to gesture to the players what to do next, which was entertaining to watch but worked a wonder for bringing everyone together. Under his conducting, the orchestra members kept energy and spirit up throughout the fast final movement, right until the last note.
It was clear that Boreyko had great chemistry with the orchestra, and they worked marvels to a brilliant fourth movement of Brahms’ Piano Quartet, which received thunderous and lengthy cheers from the audience.
Images supplied. Credit: Daniela Testa.
