It was over ten years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday: the recital of Arcadi Volodos in Groningen that I attended at the time. The Russian master pianist will come to Leeuwarden on February 9. Do not miss it.
In December 2013, Volodos performed parts of the work in the large hall of the De Oosterpoort cultural center Musica Callada by Federico Mompou. Extremely delicate piano music with whisper-soft pianissimos that is intended for the living room. Music that can easily drown in space, but the opposite was the case.
I didn’t know how to describe it at the time and I still don’t. An attempt: Volodos managed to sharpen my perception with his Mompou interpretation, with all the delicately played pianissimos coming in as clearly as the bells of the Martini Church. Regardless, it was a mind-blowing, unforgettable experience.
Replacement for Maria João Pires
Volodos returned to Groningen in 2018 for another memorable recital. And now he is coming to De Harmonie in Leeuwarden. Maria João Pires was actually supposed to perform there on February 9 to celebrate the theater’s 150th anniversary, but the Portuguese pianist had to cancel her performances for the coming months on doctor’s advice.
However, in Volodos a world star of the same stature has been found as a replacement, a pianist from the outside category. He only plays music that he finds interesting and tours the world with solo recitals dominated by the greats of Romanticism such as Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt and Rachmaninov.
He usually emphatically does not opt for virtuoso pianistic violence, but looks for the lyrical and expressive, as with Mompou at the time. Curious to see how that will work out in Leeuwarden, where he will meet Schubert (de Sonata in A minor, D 845), Schumann ( Davidsbündlertänze, op. 6) and Liszt’s own adaptation Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 plays. Starts at 8.15 pm; entrance fee 39.50 euros.
Masterclass and workshop
One day before Volodos’ recital, on Thursday afternoon, February 8, pianist Nino Gvetadze will give a public masterclass in De Harmonie. Between 2 and 4 p.m she is working with three students from the Prince Claus Conservatoire on several pieces of music. Admission is free, but please make a reservation.