Daniil Trifonov review – one of the finest pianists today seals his place

Barbican, LondonA programme of Beethoven, Schumann and Prokofiev revealed new aspects of the young Russian’s artistryThe centrepiece of Daniil Trifonov’s residency with the London Symphony Orchestra this month was a solo recital. It was a well-packed, generous performance, which provided further confirmation that the 28-year-old Russian is one of the finest pianists today. Despite his celebrity, though, Trifonov is still revealing new aspects of his artistry. His reputation was founded on his sometimes astounding performances of Chopin, Liszt and Rachmaninov, but here, though his encore was Rachmaninov (an arrangement – perhaps his own? – of Vocalise) his programme was based upon substantial works by Beethoven, Schumann and Prokofiev.All received revelatory performances, whether in the hyperactive, almost anarchic figuration conjured up in his left hand through the scherzo of Beethoven’s E flat Sonata Op 31 No 3, or the glittering decoration in the Andante Favori, originally intended as the central movement of the Waldstein Sonata, with which Trifonov had preceded that sonata. Likewise the barbaric intensity he conferred on the whirling treacherous chords of Schumann’s Presto Passionato, the original finale for his G minor Sonata Op 22. Continue reading…
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