It is rare to be at a concert where one is utterly captivated from the first note until the very last has faded to silence, but such was the effect of Russian pianist Yevgeny Sudbin on a packed Wigmore Hall at his lunchtime recital of works by Scarlatti, Chopin, Liszt, Scriabin and Saint-Saëns.
Sudbin combines flawless technique with a diverse range of pianistic colours and shading, exquisite delicacy of touch, where required, and tasteful, thoughtful use of the pedal. He is a modest presence on stage, both physically and metaphorically. Despite the extreme virtuosity of some of the repertoire, at no time did Sudbin’s own ego or personality obscure the music. This was intense and thoughtful piano playing of the first order.
From the opening notes of the first Scarlatti Sonata in G minor, Sudbin’s subtlety of touch was obvious. The notes sang, a plaintive falling melody, elegantly expressed and gracefully decorated, with echoes further down the register. At times, it was as if Sudbin was barely caressing the keys, and that the keys themselves were made of some fragile material. Not so in the second sonata, a sparkling stream of consciousness, its Spanish flavours (strummed chords and earthy dissonances) delivered with clarity, wit and drama. The final of the triptych was another lesson in studied elegance combined with fleet passagework, the final notes sounding almost as an afterthought.
Chopin admired Scarlatti’s sonatas so much that he made his pupils study them. The title “Ballade” suggests a story, though in Chopin’s hands the account is entirely musical. Sudbin allowed the narrative thread of the main theme’s lilting rhythm, redolent of the chimes of a carriage clock, to run through the entire piece, while creating the sense of improvisation as the music swelled to its rapturous climaxes. A particularly fine touch was his highlighting of some of the bass melodies, often overlooked or underplayed by other pianists.