Andreas Staier and Alexander Melnikov play Schubert

By Laura Furones, 24 September 2014

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“They breathed together, evolved together, gave each other wings”

Reviewed at Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid on 23 September 2014

Schubert, Six Grand Marches and Trios, D.819 (March in B minor)

Schubert, Four Ländler, D.814

Schubert, Six Polonaises, D.824 (Polonaise no. 1 in D minor)

Schubert, Two Marches caractéristiques in C major, D.886 (Characteristic march no. 1 in C major)

Schubert, Rondo in A major, D.951

Schubert, Andantino varié in F minor, D.823 no.2

Schubert, Eight Variations on an original theme in A flat major, D.813

Schubert, Fantasia for piano 4 hands in F minor, D.940

Alexander Melnikov, Piano

Andreas Staier, Piano

Bach sheds light in an impressively dark outing from the ACO

Nick Boston, 21st March

Energetic commitment from the ACO at the Barbican, with precision and edge from Alexander Melnikov and Jeroen Berwaerts in an evening of darkness and light.

****1

Energetic Scottish Symphony lifts a weighty evening with the LPO

Nick Boston, 20th January

Ponomarchuk and the LPO raise the spirits in Felix Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony after an underwhelming first half at the Brighton Dome.

***11

Aimez-vous Rachmaninov? Alexander Melnikov at Musikfest Berlin

Elena Luporini, 27th August

Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov is joined on stage at the Philharmonie by Alexander Rudin, Nadezhda Pavlova and Olga Pashchenko to give the audience a taste of Rachmaninov's chamber repertoire.

****1

Mixed performances in Ligeti and Mozart from Les Siècles

David Truslove, 20th August

Three concertos and a symphony made for an unusual but generous programme, but Les Siècles illustrate that versatility can come with mixed blessings.

***11

Prom 19: From dawn to death with Thomas Dausgaard and the BBCSSO

Leighton Jones, 2nd August

Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra fills the Royal Albert Hall, while Schumann’s piano concerto is followed by MacMillan’s masterpiece The Confession of Isobel Gowdie.

****1

Melnikov and Staier bring intimacy and fresh edge to Schubert

Nick Boston, 10th January

Alexander Melnikov and Andreas Staier's sensitive and insightful performances, combined with the fortepiano's freshness and added edge, make for a special evening of Schubert.

*****

More reviews...

Laura Furones

Laura leads a double life: musically, she is a violinist and a mezzo-soprano with a degree in musicology from La Rioja University. She works as a music journalist, critic and translator, and has extensive experience in artist management, including for international figures such as conductor Pablo Heras-Casado and pianist Javier Perianes. In parallel, she is an environmental scientist with an MSc in Conservation from University College London, and works as a senior expert at an international forest policy organisation.

Eternal impermanence: Andreas Staier and Alexander Melnikov play Schubert