Another beautiful review of the recital Rafał Blechacz's gave in Rome on May 17 at the Santa Cecilia, posted on cittanuova.it.
Original review
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Chopin, again and forever
23/05/2013 by Mario Dal Bello
At Academia de Santa Cecilia in Rome, 28-year-old Rafał Blechacz has delighted the audience with a repertoire ranging from Bach to the great Polish composer and pianist.
There are musicians who have the charisma of singularity, or rather, of uniqueness. Rafał Blechacz, 28, a Polish thoroughbred, is one of them. Every his concert - we felt it at the Saint Cecilia - is an event. Blechacz with his mere presence creates an atmosphere. Serenity spreads around the room, fills the hearts and minds of the people, making us relaxed. In these dramatic times, the music is not a minor thing.
Blechacz begins with Bach, the Partita no. 3 in A minor, seven movements where his fingers spread out joy, reflection, order and composure. It is a sparkling Bach, but controlled, unyielding, and also free. We hear a strict control of the keyboard; here the piano replaces the original harpsichord, but the argentine sonorities of Blechacz allow us to imagine those similar ones from the ancient instruments.
He then moved on to Beethoven's Sonata in D major., Op. 10 n. 3. The young pianist gives the best in the visionary Largo e mesto, romantic sensibility so tender, loving, sad, foretelling indescribable pains. Sounds are intense, distinctive with clarity, never confused, never messy, where the lyricism of clear color touches chiaroscuro shadows, deep chords: lyrical moment is not only this, Blechacz makes us feel the soul of Beethoven at that particular moment of listening to the inner voices. The fingering is so clear and soft at the same time that it does impress.
When he finally arrives at beloved Chopin, the musician lets us go towards the beauty of sound, cascade of trills, grace notes, slowing down and decreasing, blazing and calming. Pure Romanticism. The famous "rubato" by Chopin - and Bellini, his contemporary on the side of the opera – arises naturally, following melody, embroiders sentimental meanings. Nocturne in A flat major, Op. 32, two Polonaises in A major and in C minor, three Mazurkas and Scherzo no. 3 in C sharp minor, take turns with so many lyrical moments of absolute poetry.
Blechacz is a poet, certainly, differently, not interpreting but "being" Chopin in the way of offering his music, grasping the emotional vibrations deep inside the whispers, expressing them with abandonment, never sentimental, but delicate and balanced in deep respect for the spirit of Chopin’s music.
Great evening.
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