Performance: Bach - Goldberg Variations, Pavel Kolesnikov

 Forge Warehouse, Sheffield, UK 16.10.24

I was first attracted to this young pianist when I heard his beautifully delicate disc of the music of Louis Couperin. I enjoy the subtle decoration and clear lines of the rarely recorded Couperin.

I also enjoyed his Rachmaninov Third Concerto with the Halle last season. He has also record Chopin, Beethoven and Hahn.

Bach in a warehouse is quite an ask of a Sheffield classical audience. The audience were huddled round the piano - almost in touching distance. The rest if us were further away, standing, sotting and walking about. It was like the top floor of the Royal Albert Hall where some people bring cushions and bedrolls and sit at the wall, soaking in the music without looking at the players.

It certainly wasn’t the worst acoustic I’ve encountered for a Bach recital, but Kolesnikov was able to use his full power in Bach’s moments of emphatic punctuation to make the sections clear.  Elsewhere his decorations, pacing, phrasing and transitions were a delight. There was great appreciation at the end of the piece.

I think more people would like musical experiences like this - though maybe the Goldberg’s wouldn’t be their starting point. And access to decent pianos might be the limiting factor.

But walking around, sitting, lying down provides an alternative to the serried ranks in concert halls. I’d be keen to go again.