Russian pianist Alexei Volodin shines in back-to-back WSO concerts

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/03/2023 (1314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After three, long pandemic years since his last local appearance, world-renowned Russian pianist Alexei Volodin stormed into town this weekend to deliver two back-to-back concerts, as the penultimate offering of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s “Absolute Classics” series led by maestro Daniel Raiskin.

The virtuoso left audience members gobsmacked back in March 2020 when he performed all five Beethoven piano concerti plus his “Choral Fantasy” within a mere 24 hours, and only a few days before arts organizations shuttered their doors as the global pandemic bore down. International artists such as Volodin would not grace the Centennial Concert Hall stage again for two years, as the WSO pivoted to livestream programs spotlighting its own musicians.

So much has changed since then, however Volodin’s blazing artistry remains fully intact as he treated Saturday night’s buzzing crowd of 1,701 to Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18,” notably the Russian composer personal favourite, and beloved for its soaring themes and lush orchestration.

He likewise electrified 1,013 listeners Friday night with his jaw-dropping performance of the same composer’s “Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30,” with his trio of concerts rounding out with an intimate solo recital with the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg, held Sunday afternoon at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in partnership with the WSO.

Beyond his formidable technique, fierce concentration and ironclad conviction in bringing these works to life, what immediately fascinated is how Volodin masterfully paces his energy throughout the 20th century composer’s fiendishly difficult score, rife with thundering octaves, arpeggios ripping up and down his keyboard, dizzying double thirds and slickly executed cross-handed sequences.

After his opening chords that pealed like bells in the “Moderato” movement, Volodin immediately got down to the matter at hand, with Raiskin, in tune with the soloist note for note with their simpatico artistry palpable, expertly cuing the players with its first driving theme. The second movement “Adagio sostenuto” performed with hushed reverence provided the evening’s still point, with the pianist’s luminous tone and sweeping lyricism artfully conjuring former worlds left behind – apropos for his return engagement here during these “New Normal” times — as a deeply moving elegy steeped in Russian soul.

He then unleashed further pyrotechnics in the finale “Allegro scherzando,” that only grew in power with both soloist and orchestra charging like a steam locomotive towards the finish line. As expected, Volodin received a thunderous standing ovation, loud cheers of bravo, and even flowers from a front row audience member.

This led to two encores: Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 16 in E flat, Op.55” and an offering from Rachmaninoff’s “13 Preludes, Op. 32,” with the beaming artist showing few signs of fatigue now waving to the orchestra and blowing kisses, much to the delight of the mostly older crowd.

Two encores were also performed Friday night in response to a demand for a whopping five curtain calls: an excerpt from Medtner’s “Two Fairy Tales, Op. 51,” and Chopin’s “Etude, Op. 25 No.1 in A flat Major” with the audience likewise not wanting to let the pianist go.

The 150-minute program (including intermission) opened with JUNO-award nominated, Ukrainian-Canadian composer Larysa Kuzmenko’s “Fantasy on a theme by Beethoven,” premiered by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2020.

As a work that deserves a second hearing, the 11-minute piece inspired by Beethoven’s first symphony, struggled to gain its footing with its opening theme, before valiantly pushing through its subsequent seven variations that never quite gelled. It is suspected more rehearsal time might have helped create stronger cohesion, as well as a greater emotional trajectory despite all best attempts by the orchestra, including a fine oboe solo representing Beethoven’s immortal beloved.

The entire second half comprised of Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique,” a seminal, programmatic work dating to 1830 famously known as an opium-riddled journey chronicling the protagonist’s unrequited love leading to its diabolical finale “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath.”

Once again, Raiskin drove his players hard throughout, infusing the five-movement work with plenty of textural colour and character throughout. Two highlights proved to be the “March to the Scaffold” — including that dark moment in which the basses pluck out notes as the hero loses his head on the guillotine – and the kinder, gentler “A Ball,” including the rare sight of two onstage harps performed by principal harpist Richard Turner and guest artist, Alanna Ellison, with the entire program taking listeners to both heaven, courtesy of Volodin, as well as the damning fires of hell.

Both weekend concerts are available via digital links at https://www.mywso.tv/. For tickets or further information, visit: https://wso.ca/

Holly.harris@shaw.ca

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