Pianist Pletnev brings light to the darkness with Brahms and Dvorák | review ★★★★☆

There is no doubt about that: you rarely hear such refined clarity. Within the Russian school he is clearly someone of tonal beauty, not one of bravado and volume.

It was already dim in the room, with sparse lighting and black see-through curtains for the empty side balconies. Before Pletnev emerged, darkness covered the hall and audience, except for part of the front row. It was so dark that the program was no longer readable, but it was clear that it started with Brahms. He took care of the serious side of the program and his Rhapsody at the beginning was also about the most powerful piece of the evening.

Dvorák acted as his lighter counterpart with Minuets and Humoreskes and such. Plus – a little more serious – seven of his Poetic Mood Images at the end. The first played took care of the celebration of recognition Humoresque (no title for Brahms). Pletnev played all Dvoráks with dedication and seriousness rather than lightheartedness. There was no real contact between him and the audience: he sat and played with minimal movements.

Superior game

His playing in itself was enough to hold the attention: a superior touch, audible even in the softest regions, and a total clarity in which even notes of soft opposing voices remained completely audible. The highlight was the three Intermezzi Op.117 from Brahms; all absorbed tenderness.

Attentive silence

In the darkness the pieces followed each other almost without pause; there was no applause in between, but only listening in attentive silence. Yet even the charm of Pletnev’s playing, with its flexible timing and great sense of sound, could not disguise the fact that the alternation between soft and harder passages eventually became somewhat predictable, just like the often whisper-soft final chords. But it was all beautiful.