Alexandre Kantorow's Carnegie Hall Debut

[Ricordanza]

There are lots of young pianists striving to make their mark on the classical music scene, and, if one wants to hear them in concert, on YouTube, or via recordings, there are plenty to choose from. But three factors gave me a special curiosity about the French pianist Alexandre Kantorow and led me to journey to New York for his Carnegie Hall debut on Sunday afternoon, October 22nd.

The first indicator was that Kantorow not only won the Gold Medal at the 2019 Tchaikovsky competition; he won the rarely awarded Grand Prix—one of only five to receive this award in the 65-year history of the competition and only the second pianist to do so (Daniil Trifonov was the other one). Secondly, he recently won the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award, an honor bestowed upon a pianist only once every four years and without a formal competition. Rather, representatives of the Gilmore Foundation roam the concert halls of the world and select a recipient, who does not know he or she is being considered until the prize is awarded. Finally, there has been plenty of “buzz” online about this 26-year-old pianist.

So it was with plenty of anticipation that I arrived at Carnegie Hall to hear this young sensation and soon learned what the buzz was all about.

Kantorow began his program with the rarely performed Brahms Piano Sonata No. 1. This exuberant youthful work—Brahms’ first published composition—is often tangled and thorny, but in Kantorow’s able hands, every voice emerged with clarity. The second movement, Andante, emerged with supreme expressiveness and lyricism.

He continued with another Brahms rarity—the transcription of Bach’s Chaconne for the left hand alone. The Chaconne, from Bach’s Partita No. 2 for solo violin, has also inspired a more famous (two-handed) piano transcription by Busoni. But unlike the more extroverted virtuosity of the Busoni piece, this transcription seems closer to the spirit of solemnity and even mournfulness in Bach’s timeless set of variations. That’s not to say that the Brahms transcription is an easier version. Quite the contrary, creating the illusion of two hands is extraordinarily difficult, but Kantorow accomplished this in remarkable fashion.

Since October 22nd is Franz Liszt’s birthday, it was timely and appropriate for Kantorow to perform five Liszt transcriptions of Schubert songs. Once again, with the possible exception of Der Wanderer, these were not familiar recital items. But I was glad for the inclusion of these pieces which highlighted Schubert’s gift for melody, Liszt’s ability to showcase the possibilities of the piano, and Kantorow’s total command of the keyboard.

The final work on the program was the most familiar—Franz Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy. This is Schubert’s only truly virtuoso showpiece. Indeed, the composer asserted that it was beyond his pianistic abilities. But it has long been a favorite of mine because, in addition to the pianistic fireworks, it is a work of great beauty. And it was no surprise, based on what we had previously heard, that Kantorow’s performance was simply spectacular.

After a thunderous ovation and several curtain calls, Kantorow offered two exquisite encores: a transcription of an aria from Saint-Saens’ opera Samson et Dalila by Nina Simone (yes, that Nina Simone, the jazz singer who was also a Juilliard-trained pianist); and a transcription of the Finale from Stravinsky’s The Firebird, by Guido Agosti.

Mark my words. Alexandre Kantorow is on his way to a stellar career on the concert stage.

[Belle]

This is a superbly written and evocative review of what was obviously a thrilling evening for you. I was transported right there!! And your description of the Brahms Piano Sonata #1 as 'tangled and thorny' was apposite; I wrote my own (negative) comments about this work earlier today and they don't go anywhere near your visceral - without being critical - expression. And the 'solemnity and mournfulness' of Bach's Partita for violin; again, this is entirely in keeping with its mood and character. The Busoni transcription is virtuosic but also sublime in its 'orchestral' colouration from the piano. I don't know the transcription for the Left hand only by Brahms to which you refer, but it obviously demonstrated the capabilities of Kantorow.

Just now I listened on YouTube to Kantorow's Schubert "Wanderer Fantasy" and was captivated by his different approach. I have Pollini playing this and it's somewhat hard-driven. Kantorow's performance had far more light and shade that I'm generally used to. The only criticism I'd make is that there was a little too much pedalling.

I must say I'm very excited about this virtuosic, young French pianist and thank you for taking the time to write this authoritative review.

[Ricordanza]

Thank you, Belle. I really appreciate your feedback.

At least in the musical realm, there are grounds for agreement between us.

[Belle]

Thank you, Belle. I really appreciate your feedback.

At least in the musical realm, there are grounds for agreement between us.

I have zero interest in politics conflicting with my love for music.

Diving into my Swafford biography of Brahms I read up about the first performance of the Sonata #1 at the home of Robert and Clara Schumann. Brahms was very anxious performing it in front of his idol Robert, who seemed to be less filled with ardor about it than Brahms perhaps expected. Robert called in Clara to come and listen and they all agreed to meet the next day.

Schumann had entered into his diary, "Brahms called today (a genius)".

Swafford says Schumann regarded this first Sonata by Brahms as looking back to Beethoven and, yes, you certainly do get that in the first movement. Suggestions from Swafford about references to Beethoven and the "Hammerklavier" - Brahms looking back - definitely, but I also believe the work contains allusions to Robert Schumann himself. This would be entirely predictable. Despite the enthusiasm for the Brahms Piano Sonata #1 from Robert and Clara I still find the work quite uneven; I'm not totally convinced by his search for a theme and development. Quite a bit of treading water here!! Any number of musical and rhythmical ideas but not a coherent whole, IMO. It is, after all, his first Opus.

Brahms never moved far from his chunky and emphatic homophonic chords and a melody line lost somewhere in the mix, and this is very apparent in this Sonata in C Major. It's up to the pianist to find that melody. But there are also strong hints in this first work of his Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel. I've often wondered if a composer re-examined a section of a work or works he'd written and determined that the particular section constituted possibilities for something else, much bigger.

Incidentally, the great Schumann did comment to Clara that Brahms's piano music "does cry out for an orchestra".