An astounding talent Freddy Kempf embraces fearsome works.
This is technically demanding repertoire. Not many pianists would even attempt it. Yet, here is a 33-year-old whose technique is so formidable that none of his decisions are dictated by the level of difficulty. Artists of this calibre should be treasured.
How knowingly he captures the melancholic nostalgia below the surface of Rachmaninov’s late masterpiece Variations on a Theme of Corelli. This is Rachmaninov with nothing more to prove, no further need to impress an increasingly fickle public, making music out of a private compulsion to create. Kempf displays the requisite range of power and inward-looking tenderness to match Rachmaninov’s vision.
Ferruccio Busoni’s transcription of the chaconne from Bach’s second Violin Partita follows in the same key with a satisfying inevitability. Here Kempf rises to the challenge set by Busoni to recreate the sound of a vast church organ with all stops out.
In Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales and Stravinsky’s Three movements from Petrushka, Kempf makes a deliberate choice to move away from the music’s origins in dance. Employing plenty of rubato, he treats the Stravinsky as a free fantasia, wallowing in its pianistic textures (unlike the sharp, brittle excitement of the recent, marvellous recording by Yuja Wang). Likewise, his Ravel is winningly sentimental.
What are your thoughts on this article? Have your say and leave your comments below.
To begin commenting right away, you can log in below using Disqus or Facebook Connect.
Please read our
guidelines on commenting. Offending posts will be removed and your access may be suspended. Abusive or obscene language will not be tolerated. The comments below do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Limelight, Haymarket Media or its employees.
comments powered by