more classical music reviews


concert reviews


upcoming concerts in singapore

The name of Alexander Tselyakov is new to me, and after hearing these discs, I wonder where he’s been all these years. The bio compares him with Horowitz (but don’t all Russian Jewish male pianists get their necks snagged with that albatross?), and lists him as a student of Lev Naumov, and to have won a “top prize” at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition (Records show that he placed joint fourth at the 1986 edition, which was won by the Irishman Barry Douglas). Since 1994, he has been a resident of Canada (by way of Israel), which explains the Canadian origin of these discs. 

Despite the hype, Tselyakov is a compelling pianist. That is immediately apparent in the Russian recital disc, which, from the opening bars of Tchaikovsky’s Theme and Variations, Op.19 No.6, oozes with Russian-ness. What is it with Russian pianists playing music from their homeland that is so irresistible? Is it the Russian language, which unites the peoples from the ex-Soviet Baltic republics all the way across Siberia to the Russian Far East? The inflexions, even in a rather prosaic theme such as Tchaikovsky’s and the virtuosic variations that follow it, come across with much flavour and colour.

The Scriabin selection is a page right out from Horowitz’s book. Five of the six pieces were previously recorded by the late great Russian on CBS Masterworks (now reissued on Sony Classical). Tselyakov is hardly overawed in such august company. If anything, he is much less mannered and is unafraid to let the music speak for itself.

The two Poèmes of Op.32 provide a clue to Scriabin’s psyche; the langour of the first contrasts with the volatility and violence of the second. Horowitz did not record the latter, perhaps it was too one-dimensional and over-the-top even for him! Similar contrasts exist for the wistful Feuillet d’Album Op.45 No.1, the ubiquitous Étude in D sharp minor Op.8 No.12, and the volcanic eructations of Étude Op.65 No.3. All these are crafted to near perfection under Tselyakov’s hands. To further illustrate the point, his Vers la flamme (Towards the Flame) Op.72 soars, sparkles and splutters to a cataclysmic end, a true baptism of fire.  

The Rachmaninov selections – two contrasting Préludes (Op.32 No.5 & 12), a fiery Etude-tableaux (Op.39 No.3) and a passionate Moment Musicaux (Op.16 No.4) – play out like a four-movement suite. Again, Tselyakov lacks for nothing in these highly idiomatic and non-idiosyncratic readings.

Prokofiev piano sonatas have become rather commonplace in recital programmes nowadays but one exception is his Fifth Sonata Op.38/135. The music straddles the lyrical and motoric {SJW - not a word, but have no suggestion} style of his earlier sonatas (Sonatas Nos.3 and 4 carry the suffix “From Old Notebooks”) and the ironic, hard-hitting rhetoric of the “War” Sonatas (Nos.6 to 8). It is also the only sonata dating from the 1920s, the period of Prokofiev’s years of exile in the West. There are two versions dating from 1923 (Op.38) and his final year 1953 (Op.135), the latter being a revision of the former.

Tselyakov plays the later version (although the notes don’t make it clear), which has a less rambling finale, one that carries an air of inevitability and ends with a bang (rather than the whimper of the earlier version). I enjoyed Tselyakov’s unerring control, especially in the strict rhythmic pulse of the Andantino central movement, and his ability to work up a head of steam in the closing pages. All this makes for a truly compelling performance.    

I don’t know how the Toccata by the Canadian Samuel Dolin (born 1917) fits into this disc (although it certainly wouldn’t look out of place in the next). Presumably its driving and mechanical rhythms are reminiscent of Prokofiev’s finales, and would therefore seem a logical follow-up. However given the high quality of the music and performances preceding it, it represents somewhat of an anticlimax.

Music by Canadian composers dominates the 2004 “live” recital from Brandon University (Manitoba, Canada) that appears on the second disc. Much of the music here – with the exception of the pieces by Olivier Messiaen and Rodion Shchedrin - will be unfamiliar to non-Canadians, so a journey of discovery beckons. Don’t be too overawed by the names of Glick, Kulesha, Carrabré, Eckhardt-Gramatté or Pott - all 20^th century composers – as their piano works featured are largely tonal and of an idiom not too forbidding to the ear. If anything, Messiaen’s Première communion de la Vierge (from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus) has the most dissonant harmonies, while the Prokofiev-influenced finale of Shchedrin’s Sonata No.1 in C major (1962) is the most ear-shattering number!

The rather likeable three-movement Sonata for Piano (1996) of Srul Irving Glick (1934-2004), at 18 minutes, is the longest work in this recital. The notes have it that Glick’s father was a cantor in Toronto synagogues while he worked in broadcasting, lecturing and conducting in synagogues. At any rate, the work is tonal, “achieves a synthesis of Jewish and classical musical traditions” (the notes again), and does not stray too far away from the Middle-Eastern idioms to be found in the Toccata or Piano Concerto of Khachaturian.

There are some impressionistic and atmospheric moments in the two Fantastic Landscapes of Gary Kulesha (born 1954) which make them enjoyable listening. The Elemental Wind (Scherzo No.2) by Patrick Carrabré (born 1958) opens like Messiaen’s Regard de l’Esprit de joie (from Vingt Regards), is thick with octaves and trills, toys around with dissonances and atonal gestures, and lasts about only half as long. Space forbids a lengthy discourse on the extraordinary life of Anne-Sophie Eckhard-Gramatté (1899-1974), but the single vignette in Caprice No.6 reveals a free-spirited and humorous personality, who could have been quite at home in the company of Les Six (who are her contemporaries).

The Toccata by Englishman Francis Pott (born 1957) won 1st prize at the 1997 Prokofiev Composition Competition. One wonders if it was because the composer tried his best to imitate the great Russian composer’s no-holds-barred percussive, driving style of pianism. It sounds derivative (especially for something from the 1990s) but Tselyakov gives as convincing an account as it could possibly get.

The composer who gets the most air time in this recital is Tselyakov’s compatriot Rodion Shchedrin (born 1932), and rightfully so. Besides the cameo from Messiaen, he sounds the most interesting composer, one who is at home with multiple idioms and styles (he’s not referred to as the “Russian Bernstein” for nothing!). His Humoresque (occasionally heard accompanying floor exercises in gymnastic competitions involving Russians) and A la Albeniz (sometimes called An Imitation of Albeniz) have become rather popular and are often performed together. They are not technically difficult but Tselyakov delivers them with humour and panache. Finally the 14-minute three movement Sonata No.1 provides a profusion of styles; quirky scherzo-like rhythms (in the folksy manner of Shchedrin’s ballet The Humpbacked Horse) in the opening movement, bell-like sonorities in the slow movement and a primeval rumbling moto perpetuo finale that out-Prokofievs Prokofiev. 

This is an interesting 20^th century piano recital – performed by an excellent and highly sympathetic pianist - that delivers much more than the sum of its parts. 

In Singapore, classical music CDs may be bought most inexpensively from SING MUSIC, The number to call is (+65) 6235 8960. The address is 304 Orchard Road #02-75 Lucky Plaza Singapore 238863. Simply mention the magic words "The Flying Inkpot" and receive 10% off all purchases (except for nett items).Make a trip down, you won't regret it!

All original texts are copyrighted. Please seek permission from the Classical Editor
if you wish to reproduce/quote Inkpot material.