live from Piano Visions in Stockholm April 2019
LeFrak Concert Hall, Queens CollegeNiklas Sivelov, pianoBach-Beethoven-Scriabin-Bartok Wonders never cease! Here is a Swedish pianist (also composer) who has been completely off my radar; indeed even Google does not tell you much. And yet, this is one of the best piano recitals I have heard. Right from the declamatory start of the Bach Partita No. 2 one knows this is a pianist of substance. Dramatic, finely spun, yet with nothing forced (an absolute no-no in Bach for me), the opening set the tone for the piece. the dance rhythms are naturally rendered, yet at times spontaneous and almost jazzy. The counterpoints and the balance between the two hands are always perfect. This is Bach playing of the highest order, and I have never heard better, live or on record. The Beethoven Op 111 is equally awesome, opening also in a dramatic declaration. Sivelov’s excellent technique ensures there is no ugly struggle, yet the uncommonly inventive music is deeply probed and hugely satisfying. The program I have to say is highly intelligent, and his playing makes us aware of the dance and jazzy elements common to both pieces. Bravo! After a brief intermission, Sivelov plays a group of Scriabin, Sonata-Fantasy No. 2, Deux Morceaux (Op 57 and 59), and Feuillet d’album, Op 58. which are all rendered with the utmost color; the sometimes abruptly shifting vistas always sound interesting and never drifting, as they can be in lesser hands. The last piece was stirring account of Bartok’s Sonata. As before, Sivelov’s rhythmic command is unassailable. The pianist is a bit of an eccentric (perhaps that accounts for his obscurity). His soft shoes do not go with his tux, but one understands why he wears them, as he is prone to tap on the floor. Even more unusually, he vocalizes extensively, but the sounds are not the usual sing-along type (Glenn Gould), nor moaning (Keith Jarrett), rather hoarser and closer to hissing and forceful exhalation. These antics can be distracting, but I’d gladly put up with them when the playing is on such lofty grounds. This was a free lunch time recital on campus; the small LeFrak Hall is beautiful and cosy, and acoustically excellent. The program is going to be repeated at Town Hall today (also free); I almost feel like going again. Posted by doctorjohn at 11:12 AM No comments: Labels: Jazz, 听后感 Concert Review19 September, 2018
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The CD was played and presented om Austrian Radio. They wrote: “Niklas Sivelöv, Pianist, Komponist und Professor an der Königlichen Musikakademie Kopenhagen, wird in Nordeuropa und in Fachkreisen der USA zu den bemerkenswertesten Pianisten unserer Zeit gezählt. Bislang war der Künstler auf CDs mit eigenen Werken und solchen “nordischer” Komponisten vertreten. Seine Doppel-CD mit den sechs letzten Klaviersonaten Beethovens ist mehr als nur bemerkens-, empfehlens- und hörenswert. Der Komponist Sivelöv drängt sich als Pianist den Partituren nicht auf, sein Beethoven respektiert die Noten, ist nicht subjektiv, sondern persönlich, wenn es die Musik erfordert. Diese Sonaten werden ja oft mit “romantischem” Überschwang, extrem emotional, gespielt; nicht so Sivelöv. “Analytisch kalt” ist sein Beethoven aber nicht: Humor, Emotion und Pathos ja, Sentimentalität nein; notengerecht ist Sivelöv selbst dann, wenn ein improvisatorischer Touch zu hören ist; aus “Klangrede” wird “Klang(ge)sang”.”
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