From the arcane to the Arcadian: Alexei Volodin

By Roy Westbrook, 27 February 2020

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“Volodin... can make the instrument roar without the sound becoming harsh”

Reviewed at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 26 February 2020

Medtner, 8 Fairy Tales

Medtner, Fairy Tale for piano in B flat minor, Op.20 no.1

Medtner, Fairy Tale for piano in B minor, Op.20 no.2

Medtner, Fairy Tale for piano in E minor, Op.34 no. 2

Medtner, Fairy Tale for piano in A minor "Forest Spirit", Op.34 no.3

Medtner, Fairy Tale for piano in F minor "Russian Tale", Op.42 no.1

Medtner, Fairy Tale for piano in F minor, Op.26 no. 3

Medtner, Fairy Tale for piano in G sharp major, Op.42 no.3

Medtner, Fairy Tale No.4 in C sharp minor, op.35: "Blow, wind and crack your cheeks" from King Lear

Prokofiev, Piano Sonata no. 3 in A minor, Op.28

Rachmaninov, Piano Sonata no. 1 in D minor, Op.28

Alexei Volodin, Piano

Hearing in colour: Kochanovsky conducts ecstatic Scriabin

Mark Pullinger, 11th May

Multi-sensory music? Scriabin's Prometheus, Poem of Fire tickles the senses in an ecstatic performance under Stanislav Kochanovsky.

****1

An unusual Stravinsky-Mozart combo shines under Hans Graf in Singapore

Chang Tou Liang, 28th October

Rarely-heard Stravinsky piano concertos are coupled with Mozart symphonies with Hans Graf, Alexei Volodin and the Singapore Symphony.

****1

An atmospheric Shostakovich 5 from the RPO and Robert Trevino

Alexander Hall, 30th October

Curate's eggs are surprisingly common in the musical world: a disappointing concerto performance from an off-form Alexei Volodin but impressive results from Robert Trevino and the RPO in the main work.

***11

Bychkov and the BBCSO matchless in Shostakovich 11

Roy Westbrook, 10th April

No one who had ever doubted the stature of the Eleventh could do so after this.

*****

Volodin delivers searing Brahms in Dublin

Andrew Larkin, 9th October

An exciting rendition of Brahms Second Piano Concerto in the first half was offset by a less than engaging rendition of Hindemith's Symphony: Mathias der Maler in the second.

***11

Tag-team Prokofiev triumphs at the Proms

Mark Pullinger, 28th July

What on paper might have looked like a circus act – wheeling out three pianists to plough through Prokofiev’s five piano concertos – turned out to be a fascinating opportunity to compare and contrast.

****1

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Roy Westbrook

Roy Westbrook gained a diploma in music history at London University (Morley College) and was for some years the head of music day schools at Oxford University, where he also led music summer schools. After some years leading the University's business school he has returned to music teaching and writing, and recently took part in the Arts in Residence courses on Bruckner, Mahler and Bach He is co-author (with Terry Barfoot) of a history of opera, and has taught day schools on Sibelius in Oxford and elsewhere.

From the arcane to the Arcadian: Alexei Volodin's all-Russian programme at the QEH