Arcadi Volodos at Konzerthaus, Berlin

BERLIN/GERMANY:  20/11/2015: Arcadi Volodos, the artist in Residence at Berlin´s Konzerthaus for the 2014/2015 season, is giving twelve concerts to showcase his craftsmanship and virtuosity with an excitingly varied program. For the fifth concert – Johannes Brahms´ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major – a challenge, which Arcadi Volodos has met with his eyes closed. Conducted by Ivan Fischer.

Arcadia Volodos in Berliner Konzerthaus 2015. Foto Emilia Temirkulovaite.

Review by Emilija Temirkulovaite

Brahms took a break of over two decades to write the Second Piano Concerto.

Its main inspiration was his travels to Italy – the country, whose beauty he had fallen in love with during the three-year period of composing the piece
.

Temperamental yet perfectly balanced and exceptionally elegant this Concerto remains one of the largest Piano Concertos, being similar to the structure of a Symphony with a Piano solo. Withal Brahms, upon announcing its completion, described it as „a rather small Piano Concerto with a small, delicate Scherzo“.

The „small, delicate Scherzo“ is neither small, nor it is Scherzo! Or perhaps a German one, with all its seriousness, conviction, rationality… Some parts are nonetheless delicate indeed. Volodos like Brahms, has an ursine appearance, but those are not clumsy paws he commands. The stamina of this magnanimous pianist accommodated powerful fortes, which then contrasted with technically polished passages, performed with breath-taking refinement.

Even though Volodos has been playing this concert for a while now (a wonderful recording can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOrZOD_nc8o), he does not seem to have gotten tired of it, quite the opposite, one could feel the pianist´s deep affinity with the piece every time he directed his hands at the keyboard.

The Konzerthaus orchestra, alas, fell short of expectations, exhibiting a fragmented, dull sound and a dragged-out phrasing. For the encore Volodos chose Federico Mompou (Cancion No
. 6) – a composer, who´s works the pianist recorded, some even brilliantly transcribed, which is one more acclaimed talent of his.

The pianist will play two recitals in Berlin´s renowned Konzerthaus on 16th and 19th of June.