Grigory Sokolov, piano

By great good luck, this concert by one of the major Russian pianists coincided with my stay here. According to the programme notes, Sokolov gives an annual performance in Valencia and, judging by the reaction of the audience at the end, he has an enthusiastic following, in spite of the fact that his only concession to applause was a short, stiff bow, reminding me somewhat of Dylan’s detached stage presence. Of average height, portly and rather stiff, as it his suit was too tight under the arms, with perfectly permed, shoulder-length white hair to back and sides, bald on top, he reminded me of Carl, the aimiable maître d’ in Rick café in Casablanca, but without the charm.

The setting was the extraordinary Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències which looks like a giant concrete version of Darth Vader’s helmet, looming up as you approach. The auditorium is large, but not enormous, and somewhat austere. The acoustics are excellent, especially as several numbers went from fff to ppp, with the quietest notes clearly audible.

The programme consisted of pieces by Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann. The first two were new to me. The Beethoven is a set of variations with a Mozart feel and struck me as a minor work. It was not clear where each variation started and ended, so the overall structure was confusing, at least, to me. After a brief pause he launched into the Brahms with lots of light and shade, power and gentleness, and with some beautiful, singing melodies.

However, for me, the recital really came alive in the last work, Schumann’s Kreisleriana, one of the most challenging in the classical repertoire. The programme notes say he wrote the 8 movements in 4 days! and later called it his favourite work. However,  when he proudly presented a copy to Chopin, the latter was apparently uninterested, merely making a casual comment about the design of the cover …

The movements are strongly contrasted, going from volcanic to gentle and back, the final touch being a very quiet, perfectly placed bass note. The massive technical demands were taken easily, of course, with minimum show and maximum expression.

After a couple of curtain calls he returned for 6 separate encores!  I didn’t recognise all of them, though I think there was one by Scriabin – the only outlier in a heavily Romantic set.  Two, in particular, a Brahms Intermezzo and a short Chopin Prelude, showed his range of emotion, power and control to perfection.

 However, although I had a good seat, in an auditorium of that size the piano is rather distant. Add to that Sokolov’s aloofness, and the result was an impressive performance but not an outstanding occasion.

I should add that, in contrast to mine, the local paper gave an ecstatic review