Tchaikovsky by Matsuyev and Shostakovich by Sladkovsky

Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky

Denis Matsuyev dedicated the first part of the festival concert to a big piano sonata of Tchaikovsky. Though it wasn't a premiere, this composition isn't performed so often. And one can presuppose some listeners didn't know it.

The four-part sonata performed by Denis Matsuyev turned into a picturesque canvas – romantic and sometimes mysterious. We had lyric Matsuyev in front of us who seemed to stand still seeing the world's beauty and diversity painted by Tchaikovsky. The pianist's play had sort of animation and excitement the audience felt.

As one could find an obvious influence of Schumann's sonatas on the composer in this sonata of Tchaikovsky, it will be relevant to remember Schumann's words ''concerto without orchestra'', it's how once the composer named one of the odes of his sonatas. Denis Matsuyev offered such a ''concert without orchestra'' to citizens of Kazan at the festival of the Tatarstan State Symphony Orchestra.

The second part opened with Igor Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra. And it was the first performance in Kazan. How curiously the repertoire of the new season is created in the Tatarstan State Symphony Orchestra – the Kazan citizens are almost discovering Stravinsky's music. The strong emotional sufferings the orchestra and Aleksandr Sladkovsky presented us with an amazing interpretation of Petrushka in one of the concerts of Concordia international contemporary music festival haven't been forgotten, and here is a new premiere.

The four-part sonata performed by Denis Matsuyev turned into a picturesque canvas – romantic and sometimes mysterious

Stravinsky's capriccio, as researchers of his art suppose, has some combination of ''baroque music writing and syncopated rhythm'' in the first part of the composition. Both the soloist and the orchestra seemed to have demonstrated this impossible combination. Matsuyev looked as if he was painting the orchestra's canvas in the second part of capriccio.

In general, Stravinsky's capriccio interpreted by both the conductor and the soloist is a fun, firm compositions with the reigning joy of existence. By the way, it's a characteristic state of the audience in the Tatarstan symphony orchestra's concerts.

Favourite Shostakovich

It's no secret Aleksandr Sladkovsky loves Dmitry Shostakovich's oeuvre. Having made unprecedented recordings of this composer, which have already spread across the world, Sladkovsky has firmly joined the list of the most accurate and deepest interpreters of his music.

For the concert during the festival Denis Matsuyev with Friends, the maestro chose Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9. The symphony that was expected like an ode to the victory at war, but the composer made another decision.

Every interpretation of Shostakovich is a personal and somewhat solemn moment for Aleksandr Sladkovsky. The conductor seems to try to feel subtexts the author laid in the score. And Sladkovsky who has intuition gifted by God is able to do it.

In general, Stravinsky's capriccio interpreted by both the conductor and the soloist is a fun, firm compositions with the reigning joy of existence

Symphony No. 9 in his interpretation is both a sigh of relief and hope, that all is over. It doesn't have joy but has some gratitude to fate got giving this hope. But the maestro also has a presentiment, he has slightly notable notes of anxiety. Knowing the life the composer had further, after the ninth symphony was written, such notes can be noticed in his composition. The maestro gifted two amazing concerts to the Kazan audience. Surprisingly, but we already got used to it and consider as due. But it's not always possible to listen to one of the best pianists of modern time for two evenings in a row.