Daniil Trifonov at Carnegie Hall: a valiant champion of less-familiar repertory

United StatesUnited States Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Rachmaninov: Daniil Trifonov (piano). Carnegie Hall, New York, 17.10.2024. (ES-S)

Daniil Trifonov © Richard Termine

Tchaikovsky – Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op.80; Concert Suite from The Sleeping Beauty (arr. Mikhail Pletnev
Chopin Waltz in E major, Op. posth.; Waltz in F minor, Op.70, No.2; Waltz in A-flat major, Op.64, No.3; Waltz in D-flat major, Op.64, No.1, ‘Minute’; Waltz in A minor, Op.34, No.2; Waltz in E minor, Op. posth.
Rachmaninov Variations on a Theme of Corelli

Daniil Trifonov, one of the most celebrated artists of his generation, could indeed opt to rest on his laurels by revisiting familiar pieces beloved by audiences, thereby securing his ongoing success. Yet one of the most striking qualities of his artistry lies in his readiness to explore lesser-known corners of the piano repertoire. With unrestrained enthusiasm, he introduces these rarely performed works to audiences who might a priori deem them less worthy of attention, yet eagerly embrace them when presented by such a commanding figure.

He recently opened the new season of the Czech Philharmonic with a performance of Dvořák’s Piano Concerto under the baton of Charles Dutoit (standing in for Simon Bychkov, who is recovering from back surgery). Lacking easy-to-remember melodies and offering little innovation in its conception, this least popular of Dvořák’s three instrumental concertos is not only extremely difficult to play but also hard to appreciate.

As anyone could appreciate from the close-up shots of the keyboard in the real-time stream produced by Stage+ and still available on that platform, Trifonov navigated the piano part with effortless ease, including all those passages demanding the pianist’s fingers to run up and down the keyboard with little clear direction. In a score where the piano is more integrated into the overall musical tapestry than usual, offering fewer soloistic passages, Trifonov was still able to showcase a remarkable variety of touch and tone, ranging from thunderous to delicate. His rendition of the Andante sostenuto movement, where Dutoit’s overall emphasis on a lighter soundscape felt particularly appropriate, stood out for its lyricism. Nevertheless, a certain detachment could be discerned overall in Trifonov’s exquisite playing – a lack of desire to embrace the emotional warmth that characterizes even Dvořák’s less successful works.

On Thursday night, the first of the three encounters this season with Daniel Trifonov featured him in a recital bracketed by two Tchaikovsky works. Published posthumously, the Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op.80 is, in fact, an early work dating from Tchaikovsky’s days as a student at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. In an odd similarity with Dvořák’s concerto mentioned above, one could barely guess, while listening to the well-structured yet overly dense score, that its composer had an extraordinary gift for effortlessly spinning out new and wonderful melodies. Trifonov launched himself into the tumultuous Allegro con fuoco within seconds of stepping onto the stage and giving his customary half-shy, half-confident head-bow. He attempted to bring meaning to a routine development, but he did not quite succeed. Rare moments of beauty emerged in the Robert Schumann-like Andante and the danceable scherzo music that Tchaikovsky later incorporated into his First Symphony. The Allegro finale sounded just as turbulent yet unexciting as the first movement.

At the other end of the program was the Concert Suite from The Sleeping Beauty, a ‘paraphrase’ in the spirit of Liszt, crafted by the great pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev and based on Tchaikovsky’s ballet music. The series of musical vignettes, performed for the first time at Carnegie Hall, barely captures the rich orchestral colors of the original. Nevertheless, in Trifonov’s interpretation, the eleven tableaux of varying lengths – some evoking famous moments from the ballet, others drawing inspiration from more obscure scenes – embodied some of the frivolity and eeriness of Tchaikovsky’s music. His dazzling technique added wings to any musical fragments that might have otherwise sounded plain and repetitive.

By replacing the initially announced performance of Barber’s Piano Sonata with Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme by Corelli, Trifonov’s evening took an even stronger turn toward the Russian repertoire. Far less popular than the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini – though there were perceivable premonitory hints of the latter – the 1931 composition reveals the richness of Rachmaninov’s inventive spirit. With finely calibrated dynamics and mostly brisk tempos, Daniil Trifonov crafted a cohesive whole from the twenty brief variations, each with its own distinct character. His poetic touch in the slower variations was especially remarkable.

The high point of the recital came before the interval, with Trifonov selecting six – some better known than others – from the twenty-odd waltzes that Chopin composed over nearly two decades. This assemblage allowed the pianist to hide his extraordinary technical prowess in difficult passages beneath a cloud of great delicacy. There was no moment of overbearing Romantic grandiloquence in his rendition. Every phrase was perfectly balanced rhythmically – dreamy yet devoid of languor and unnecessary fragility. Listening to Trifonov’s Chopin, one could appreciate the composer’s pivotal role in the piano canon, somehow equidistant from both Scarlatti and Debussy.

In an evening dominated by shorter musical spans, there were three jazzy encores – either originals or Trifonov’s own transcriptions. They were interpreted with great charm, but perhaps selecting more meaningful gems from the many rarely played pieces woven throughout the history of music might have been more appropriate.

Edward Sava-Segal

1 thought on “Daniil Trifonov at Carnegie Hall: a valiant champion of less-familiar repertory”

  1. I’m in Europe where I went twice to a live concert of Daniil Trifonov. Rachmanimov in the repertoire those days for sure. Oustanding! J’ai adoré! Just listening his CDs is a pleasure for our souls. One of my favourit pianists of his generation. I would love to receive the live concerts 2025 in advance. Bravo dear Daniil👌👏❤️

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