Ukrainian pianist shows power and poetry in Rachmaninoff
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Pianist Valentina Lisitsa in PSO debut.
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Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" didn't incite a near-riot last night at Heinz Hall as it did in its premiere in 1913 in Paris. But the audience was buzzing after Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 was given a bracing performance by pianist Valentina Lisitsa with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck.
First, some scene-setting. Until Monday, Ms. Lisitsa had other plans for this weekend. Then she got a call from the PSO's VP of artistic planning Robert Moir, to replace ailing pianist Horacio Gutierrez. Next thing, the Ukrainian-born pianist was debuting in Pittsburgh.
To ready himself for a partial performance of this concerto in 1900, Rachmaninoff drank hot red wine to fend off a cold. For Ms. Lisitsa, it was enough to wear a sleeveless burgundy-colored dress that showed off her graceful, yet sinewy, arms full of uncommon strength.
All this is an aside to her artistry. Ms. Lisitsa constantly made her scintillating technique the servant of her poetic conception of the piece. A Rachmaninoff concerto can be played like a galloping horse going wire to wire, but she explored the journey. Chief among this was her use of dynamics. From the stout crescendo of the solo opening chords to surprisingly quiet treatment of key areas, such as in the second theme or even in the recapitulation of the main theme in the first movement. Occasionally she let the tempos get a bit brisk, but it all fit an artistic reasoning.
She took the kind of liberties with the work that only can be done by someone extremely assured of its style. Only in her encore, Chopin's Etude in C minor from the Op. 25 set, did she show signs of tiring out. Principal clarinetist Michael Rusinek offered gorgeous solo in the middle movement characterized by dovetails and decrescendos that made one's jaw drop. Similarly, the first violins, led by guest concertmaster Nathan Cole, a member of the first violin section of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, showed the results of Mr. Honeck's influence with a graceful and light treatment of that melody later in the movement.
First Published May 1, 2010 12:35 am
