Page 88 - BBC Music (January 2020)

Instrumental

INSTRUMENTAL CHOICE

Simon Trp!eski paints a magical picture

David Nice relishes the pianist’s mastery and love for these Russian classics

themes from Rimsky-Korsakov’s
Sheherazade. Here is the whole thing,
and though you sometimes miss
Tales From Russia the orchestral master’s allocation
Musorgsky: Night on Bare of instrumental solos, Trp!eski
Mountain; Prokofiev: Tales of ‘conducts’ his own interpretation
an Old Grandmother; so magnificently towards a series
Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade of towering climaxes that you
Simon Trp!eski (piano) understand his special love for this
Onyx ONYX 4191 65:31 mins music. The big sea-swells are hair-
How typically idiosyncratic of raising – the last one in the finale so
Simon Trp!eski to begin his latest massive that it almost sounds as if a
recorded recital quietly, intuitively, third recorded hand had been added;
with Prokofiev’s Tales of an Old but the biggest surprise is the time
Grandmother. These and atmosphere
elliptical pieces, Trp!eski gilds Trp!eski allots
the first Prokofiev Prokofiev’s Tales with to the mood-
completed after conjuring, starting
leaving post- perfectly-judged tone with those
revolutionary mysterious chords
Russia for what he thought would Rimsky-Korsakov acknowledged
be a short tour of America, conjure as indebted to Mendelssohn’s
nostalgia through their singular Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture.
lyricism and mysterious refrains. The same is true of the Night on Bare
Trp!eski gilds them with perfectly- Mountain, Konstantin Chernov
judged tone, matched by a recording transcribing Korsakov re-ordering Epic and intimate:
which is as full and lovely as any I’ve Musorgsky: where a mere virtuoso Simon Trpcˇeski performs
with power and mystery
heard for a pianist as good as this. might rush through the demon-
The Tales are also the only pieces banishing dawn, Trp!eski makes it a
intended for the keyboard, though most magical tone painting.
curiously Prokofiev ‘recorded’ PERFORMANCE HHHHH Hear extracts from this recording and the rest of this month’s choices
a player-piano pot-pourri of RECORDING HHHHH on the BBC Music Magazine website at www.classical-music.com

JS Bach Martinikerk in the northeast Dutch comparison with the later ones, Fantasy & Fugue on the theme BACH;

Toccata & Fugue in D minor, city of Groningen, an instrument she makes you hang on every note. Fantasy & Fugue on the the Choral ‘Ad
BWV 538; Prelude & Fugue in dating back to Bach’s childhood Highlights among the chorale nos, ad salutarem undam’; Widor:
G, BWV 535; An Wasserflüssen and one of the most famous – and preludes include a wonderfully Bach’s Memento No. 5 – Sicilienne;
Babylon, BWV 653; Fantasia precious – of all Baroque organs registered ‘An Wasserflüssen Organ Symphony No. 5 – Toccata
super ‘Jesu, meine Freude’, surviving today. Her recital of Babylon’ and an exhilarating Jae-Hyuck Cho (organ)
BWV 713a/1 & 713/2 etc ‘Famous Organ Works’ offers an ‘Komm, Gott, Schöpfer, Heiliger Evidence EVCD058 72:27 mins
Kei Koito (organ) attractive survey, yet not actually Geist’, played with a bravura seldom It may have been
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 19075915582 any of Bach’s most famous works: found here; the modest, manuals- built as a temple
67:52 mins it opens with a Toccata and Fugue only Fantasia super ‘Jesu, meine to Napoleonic
A Baroque in D minor – not ‘that’ one, but the Freude’ sounds superbly ethereal. glory, but the
BENJAMIN EALOVEGA, DANIEL MUSTER, GETTY rigour to a programme covering registrations of bright transparency and blazing close. John Allison has had a remarkable musical
The Prelude and Fugue in D major,
Madeleine
‘Dorian’, BWV 538. Played with
specialist and
noted Bach
Church in Paris
BWV 532, brings things to a brilliant
almost dancing lightness and using
player, Japanese
and bite, the performance has all the
history – having witnessed such
HHHHH
organist Kei Koito
PERFORMANCE
HHHHH
hallmarks of Kei Koito’s artistry and
events as Chopin’s funeral and
brings intellectual
RECORDING
the tenure of organists including
it sets the tone for interpretations of
JS Bach • Liszt • Widor
unfailing clarity and colour.
Saint-Saëns and Fauré. You might
all the main genres of organ
JS Bach: Toccata & Fugue in D minor,
expect anyone recording a recital
Even in a couple of quite early
composition in Bach’s day. She
plays the Arp Schnitger organ in the
90 BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE preludes and fugues, compact by BWV 565; T Kim: Pahdo; Liszt: on its great Cavaillé-Coll organ to