REDEFINING THE HARP
SASHA BOLDACHEV, Harp
with GABRIEL LEE, Violin
Blue Room, The Arts House
Friday (13 April 2018 )
Friday (
On
an evening when majority of the Singapore Singapore
The
Zurich-based Boldachev performed a programme almost wholly of his own
transcriptions, alternating between works of Russian and non-Russian composers.
The concert began with J.S.Bach's well-known Toccata in D minor
(BWV.565), which provided an arresting opening but without the fugue, the
counterpoint of which would have made very interesting listening. This was
followed by Mikhail Glinka's The Lark, a typically Russian romance
tinged with longing and melancholy. Apparent from the first note, he is a
virtuoso and arranger of the highest order, whose playing is totally musical
and comes across as seemingly effortless.
The
next set of pieces by Chopin and Prokofiev are better known in their piano
versions, but the harp sounded totally idiomatic, especially in the former's Etude
in A flat major (Op.25 No.1), also known as the “Aeolian Harp”. This
reverse transcription (for harp of a piano piece trying its best to sound like
a harp) was a marvellous example, as was the familiar posthumous Nocturne
in C sharp minor, which was heard in its less-played alternative version.
Chopin's
Fantaisie-Impromptu here sounded equally brilliant and
scintillating as the original piano version, and when Boldachev added a few of
his own virtuosic flourishes, it also lent a personal touch. The martial
strides of Montagues & Capulets from Prokofiev's Romeo &
Juliet made for some startling contrasts. It was a surprise that he did not
include the Russian's Prelude in C (Op.12 No.7), but that would have
been an original harp piece, from Prokofiev's own hand.
Debussy's
Clair de lune, with its gentle chords and runs of arpeggios, was also a
natural, and here it was coupled with Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers
from The Nutcracker. Its introduction includes a harp flourish, one
which orchestral harpists the world over relish when their chance arises. The
waltz was slightly abridged but its sweeping effect was no less effective.
After
a short intermission, Boldachev was joined by Singaporean violinist Gabriel
Lee, thus playing sympathetic accompanist in two repertoire violin pieces.
Everyone loves Massenet's Meditation from Thaïs, where the
heart-strings are pulled to a soaring climax, and the lyrical Melodie
from Tchaikovsky's Souvenir d'un lieu cher (Memory of a Beloved Place).
Sounding just as musical, Lee was happy to lap up all the lovely melodies and
bask under the spotlight.
Boldachev
was again on his own in Czech composer Hans Trnecek's transcription of Bedrich
Smetana's Die Moldau (Vltava) from Ma Vlast. The evocation
of gentle trickling at the mighty river's source was very beautifully handled
before arriving the work's big tune which was gratefully reciprocated. The
central folkdance section was not included in this edited arrangement but the
melody's grand and joyous reprise provided a suitably virtuosic finish.
Gabriel
Lee returned to complete the concert with two well known Astor Piazzolla
tangos, Café 1930 from L’histoire du Tango (The History of
Tango), which had a more sultry and introspective mien, contrasted with the
infectious rocking rhythm of Libertango. There was a collective letting
down of hair and elements of improvisation in this life-affirming music, and
the combined showmanship in these popular pieces drew a sustained and prolonged
applause.
Boldachev
obliged with a very substantial encore, his own Fantasy on Themes from
Stravinsky's Petrushka. Piano fanciers familiar with Stravinsky's Three
Movements from Petrushka will recognise all the tunes here, from The
Shrovetide Fair, Russian Dance, Chez Petrushka to the final
carnival of dances and a flashy finish.
A single word to sum up Boldachev's endeavours this evening:
spectacular.
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