In a welcome return to London after several years’ absence, acclaimed Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky opened the 2014 International Piano Series at the Southbank Centre with an impressive and absorbing recital of music by two of the finest composers of preludes for the piano, Debussy and Rachmaninov, interspersed with Ravel’s “Gaspard de la Nuit,” and Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Sonata.
Opening his concert with two pieces by Debussy not included in the printed program, rather in the manner of a 19th-century virtuoso, he closed with an imposing and well-judged account of the Rachmaninov Sonata, demonstrating an appreciation of both the scope of the music and the vastness of the country of its origin. This was an evening of pure pianism, delivered without flashy gimmicks or unnecessary gestures, just honest, committed playing of the highest order.
Read the full review here.
(This review was first published on Bachtrack on Jan. 14, 2014.)
