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Pianist Andrei Gavrilov in the West
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12904 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
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5 / 1987 |
3,999 Words |
| Author
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Bella Shiuk
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Editor's note: The author, Bella Shiuk, was a good friend of the parents of Andrei Gavrilov and has known the pianist since he was born. A pianist herself, she occasionally coached the young Andrei when he was under his mother's tutelage. Her close connection to the Russian pianist yields unusual insights into the man and artist.
A little over two years have passed since Andrei Gavrilov, 1974 winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition, came to the West on a concert tour after a six-year hiatus. Following the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the Russian pianist was not allowed to appear outside his native land except for occasional forays to make recordings. In the relatively short time since his reemergence in the West in March 1985, Gavrilov has performed in Britain, West Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, Japan, Canada, and other countries as well. He has taken part in some of the most prestigious summer festivals, such as the Salzburg and Ravinia '85 festivals, to name just two. New York Times music critic Donal Henahan wrote after Gavrilov's Carnegie Hall debut on April 28, 1985: "Was Mr. Gavrilov worth the wait? Decidedly yes....He...is a major artist of a special type."
Following Gavrilov's concert at the Ravinia '85 festival, music critic John van Rain wrote in the Chicago Tribune: "No amount of praise is too much to describe Gavrilov's performance. The musician's depth of creative intellect, the remarkable beauty of the sound, nobility, poeticism and truly fabulous skill are amazing." A London Times critic wrote: "If anyone ever inherits the mantle of Horowitz, it will surely be this young Russian wizard."
It was an auspicious beginning. I was fortunate to have attended two of Gavrilov's concerts at the time. They were remarkable, something to be remembered for life. One was at the Newport Music Festival.
This concert created a tremendous impression - truly a feast for the soul. In the first half he played twenty-four Preludes and the Sonata No. 4 by Scriabin. The preludes are miniature pictures offering contrasting images of suspense, reflection, concern, will, flight. Gavrilov plays them with a remarkable sense of imagery, conveying subtle color effects ranging from the turbulent fortissimo to the delicate pianissimo. It is not only in sound effects that his art is brilliant; his entire approach to music is profoundly inspired and imaginative.
Sonata No. 4 is one of Scriabin's most beautiful piano compositions. The music has a mysterious fairytale quality and is filled with languishing, nebulous images. It has certain aloofness, like a pure spirit. Gavrilov conveyed the whole range of images - culminating in the dancing flames of a huge conflagration in the end - with extraordinary intensity and agitation.
It is possible that Gavrilov reproduces each piece with such graphic artistry because his father was an artist, and he grew up among artists, among paintings and the smell of paint. This has doubtlessly created an imprint on his perception of, and approach to, music.
In the second half of the same concert, Gavrilov played Rachmaninoff's Preludes and Moments musicaux. What immediately strikes the listener is the pianist's remarkable ability to understand, feel, and reveal each composer's
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