Sunday afternoon, at last Krystian Zimerman entered the stage of the Berwald hall, Stockholm, for a much longed for piano recital.
Last time I heard him play in Stockholm, also in the Berwald hall, was for the Swedish premiere of Witold Lutoslawski’s Piano Concerto.
Next time should have been a couple of years ago, but then he cancelled, and we got a replacement concert performed by Imogen Cooper. Competent, but an impossible fight against the disappointment of Zimerman not playing.
This time, however, no cancellation, no disappointment.
The solo concerto featured works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin. All well known pieces; Mozart Sonata No. 10, KV330, Beethoven Sonata No. 8, Op. 13, Chopin Ballade No. 4, Op. 52, and Sonata No.2, Op.35.
Zimerman played Mozart with some humour, and Beethoven with forcefulness and clarity. In Chopin the lines were clear, tempi swift and perfect, and with an unbending will towards the finale.
After this effort, it was no wonder that no extra pieces were played by mr. Zimerman. Even if it would have been physically possible, it would have been out of place after such a performance. This was gracefully accepted by the audience, which after a number of calls to applaud the maestro, decided to let him go. One can only hope he will come back soon!
I noted the reviewer in Svenska Dagblade is not as positive as I am. The reviewer in Göteborgsposten (not on-line) was almost lyrical, but then there was no Beethoven, but Ravel instead.
Speaking of the audience, this was the first time for a while that we were spared the perky sounds of a mobile phone. Now, if we could just work a bit on that asthma…