There is a certain malicious pleasure to be taken in Tchaikovsky’s epic Fifth Symphony being upstaged by Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto, bearing in mind the former’s description of the latter as a “talentless bastard”. This was a concert of two giant halves, preceded by the three-minute Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin which involved among others a Royal Liverpool Philharmonic triangle player who was never seen again. A curious introduction to the main event of the afternoon, Jaeden Izik-Dzurko’s first engagement since winning the Leeds International Piano Competition the previous evening. He was to be seen before the concert calmly taking his place in the lengthy coffee queue, as yet unrecognised by most passers-by, seemingly unruffled by his experiences over the two weeks of the competition. This sense of calm carried over into his stage presence where he appeared composed, respectful and, above all, thoughtful.
The opening was almost (but not quite) understated, Izik-Dzurko's measured responses to the opening horn call warm, gentle but also full of promise, an anticipatory excitement latent under the smooth upward chord progressions. This long and complex movement unfolded in such a way, pianist and conductor Domingo Hindoyan working together as an indivisible unit as they did throughout, that the structure became evident, not intrusively but as in the design of a great building, as satisfying as it was beautiful. Time seemed stretched almost to breaking point. The Allegro appassionato was visceral, power allied to sensitivity – and always a sense of sure control. There were moments of fire and moments of delicacy, particularly in the Trio. In the Andante it seemed as if he was holding something ineffably precious in his hands before, in the perfectly judged final chord, placing it carefully down. The last movement danced with an almost tangible lightness of foot, Brahms’ forceful, glaring tritones adding contrast in the interstices. Hindoyan and the RLPO were superb partners, balanced, nuanced and sensitive and there was an abundance of fine playing, in particular from horns and cellos.
This was a fine performance of a great work. Brahms was above all a serious composer and this was serious playing. In a world of competition, hype and promotion, Jaeden Izik-Dzurko stands apart. He is a sincere artist and deserves our attention.
After the interval, the magisterial Symphony no. 5 in E minor by Tchaikovsky suffered in comparison – not because of the performance, which was all one has come to expect from this orchestra under this conductor, silky-smooth strings, clarity and precision and over all a sense of the awareness of time and structure – but purely by being placed where it was after so many riches in the first half. Hindoyan and the RLPO gave it everything and there were some thrilling moments in the climaxes, especially in the last movement, so often paced hysterically fast but here, as before, with a sense of control and structural awareness. The beauty was in the slow movement, where again Hindoyan allowed the music to play out in its own time and to breathe naturally.
