Daniil Trifonov, a new Horovitz

Hello everybody,
Have you heard about this phenomenon ? I had not, before we had the chance last Thursday with my wife to attend a recital here in Lyon by this incredible 22-year old Russian pianist.
He started by some minor Stravinski's pieces, then quickly moved to the first set of Debussy's Images - beautiful - and completed the first part with Ravel's Miroirs. Quite a consistent first set... Yet we were enchanted, but we thought: he plays like a angel (or a bird), but may lack some weight in the piano. Let's wait for some decades and we will see what happens... But after the break, he resumed with Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques: he had gained twenty years of maturity ! Absolutely overhelming, but the best was the encores, especially a reduction for piano of a Stravinski's Firebird movement: the type of pieces where you just wonder how many arms the pianist has (you cannot see any of them, rather a kind of electric octopus being everywhere on the keyboards at the same time !).
You could imagine we have 'just' a virtuoso; the only thing is that the guy is extremely musical and sensible in his way of playing (I almost cried during the slow variations of Etudes Symphoniques).
Critics quoted Rubinstein talking about Trifonov. He made me think more to Horowitz !
The organisers told to the people that they could book him before his recent successes (he his now playing in all great concert halls, as Milan's Scala, Paris' Salle Pleyel or NYC Carnegie Hall). Now he seems to have a full schedule of concerts for the 5 coming years !! If you have the chance to have one in your city, just run !

 

Well, couldn't we let him a chance either to widen his repertoire up to the contemporary one, or to move to another direction like composition or conduction of orchestras ? I agree that he may become soon tired of playing the most famous repertoire. Well, some people did during decades without getting bored, however...

 

He's obviously very good, but sonically I probably prefer Benjamin Grosvenor.

 

I did not know that one. I have just listened the first movement of Bach's 4th partita. Very nice indeed... Maybe not a circus animal as the Russian, but nevertheless someone to discover and to follow. Thanks for letting me know his existence !

 

By chance, the concert we have attended in Lyon was recorded by France-Musique, our national music radio. It was broadcasted last wednesday, and we enjoyed it very much, which shows that this pianist is not only spectacular, but really unique as a musician. And the good news is that anybody can listen the concert in 'streaming' mode, at the following address, during this month:

http://www.francemusique.fr/player/resource/17904-22404

The Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques are particularly beautiful !

 

Thanks Heather, I agree with this review. As noticed in it, I find Trifonov very cautious and respectful of the music he plays. He is not the kind of virtuoso who takes difficult pieces of the repertoire to raise himself as the greatest pianist of his time. Rather, he serves the music, so that the admiration goes as much to him as to the composer and the piece. I think we have not finished hearing about him... By the way, he is also a composer: he played one of his pieces as an encore during his Lyon recital. Someone could say it is decadent post-post-romantism (the influence of Rachmaninov is obvious). However I found the piece agreable and well written. It is difficult to find a high level of potential improvement in his piano playing, so that he might turn himself towards composition. Who knows ?

 

Thanks Didier ! I have downloaded both files, and I have listened Scriabin, which is just neat !
Regards,
François

P.S.: j'ai l'impression qu'on va encore parler longtemps de ce jeune homme, qui me paraît d'une trempe plutôt hors-norme ! Dans la même série de concert, nous avons entendu il y a quelque temps Plamena Mangova, qui nous a fait également forte impression. Encore un ou deux comme ça, et je me mets à la guimbarde...