Musical expressions of Pianoscope

By Olga de Kort, 18 October 2015

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Reviewed at Maladrerie Saint Lazare, Beauvais on 15 October 2015

Grieg, 8 Lyric Pieces

Grieg, Norwegian Dances, Op.35 (extracts)

Fauré, Berceuse, Op.16

Piazzolla, L'Histoire du Tango: Bordel 1900

Piazzolla, L'Histoire du Tango: Nightclub 1960

Stravinsky, Three movements from Petrushka (à 4 hands)

Chopin, Ballade no. 4 in F minor, Op.52

Ravel, Gaspard de la nuit

Boris Berezovsky, Piano

Lucas Debargue, Piano

Michael Guttman, Violin

Hélène Mercier, Piano

Three Russian giants in Oxford

Roy Westbrook, 28th July

Had the piece been much longer, pianist, instrument, audience and hall would surely have been consumed by some Pentecostal fire. Which is more or less what the composer had in mind.

****1

Boris Berezovsky at the Royal Festival Hall

Sophia Lambton, 5th June

A recital of incomparable but unrelated works became a lengthy attempt to adapt tempi.

***11

Dvořák in Istanbul: the Borodins and Berezovsky impress

Alain Matalon, 4th June

The five musicians on stage performed just like a well-oiled machine in Dvořák's Op. 81 Piano Quintet’s devilishly tricky coda.

****1

Boris Berezovsky at Royal Festival Hall

Frances Wilson, 14th January

Acclaimed Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky opened the 2014 International Piano Series concerts at Southbank Centre with an impressive and absorbing recital of music by Debussy, Ravel and Rachmaninov.

*****

Neeme Järvi and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Manchester

Rohan Shotton, 22nd May

Neeme Järvi brought his fine Swiss orchestra to Manchester for a deeply moving evening of Pärt, Grieg and Tchaikovsky, leaving a large audience very quiet as they left the Bridgewater Hall.Tchaikovsky wrote his Sixth Symphony amid substantial personal turmoil, despite the relatively recent success of his Fifth.

****1

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande thrills with Neeme Järvi in Birmingham

Verity Quaite, 21st May

The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is as pleasing watch as to listen to. Under the directorship of the renowned Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi since 2012, the orchestra is clearly flourishing. From start to finish, it was apparent that the orchestra were deeply enjoying their performance and this only improved the performance itself.

****1

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Olga de Kort

Musicologist and music critic Olga de Kort (The Netherlands) studied in Russia (piano, culture sciences), France (journalism) and the Netherlands (musicology and music history, music education and communication, organ) where she has lived from 1998. She is active as a music journalist, lecturer in music history and culture and as a freelance musician. She writes for Piano Bulletin, Pianist, Luister, Preludium, De Klank, Het Orgel, Muziek&Liturgie, Kunstzone and Bachtrack. Besides her personal journalist blog, Olga de Kort has a website about Russian music in the Netherlands. At this moment she is working on a book about Russian music and musicians in the Netherlands and on a biography of Russian singer Anna El Tour.