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DVD Review

Matsuev at the Royal Concertgebouw

• Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Op. 37a
• Robert Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16
• Igor Stravinsky: Three Movements from "Petrushka"
• Encores:
• Lyadov: Musical Snuffbox, Op. 32
• Tchaikovsky: superb Méditation, Op. 72 #5
• Sibelius: Etude in A minor, Op. 76 #2
• Scriabin: Etude in D Sharp minor, Op. 8 #12
• Matsuev: Jazz Improvisations

Denis Matsuev, piano
EuroArts DVD 3075408 Widescreen PCM Stereo Dolby Digital DTS 5.0 105m

The policies of the music labels are sometimes hard to follow. Take this new release from EuroArts. A live recital from one of the top pianists of the moment in one of the world's best concert venues is filmed in high-definition, only to be released on a DVD instead of a Blu-ray. As if to underline this aberration EuroArts uploaded a tantalizing clip on Youtube in full HD, as if to say: "This is what we could have given you, but we still preferred to give you a downgraded version in lossy sound." Go figure.

All the more a shame because this Denis Matsuev concert is beautifully filmed, lit and edited (courtesy of Sébastien Glas and the French Idéale Audience team), taking full advantage of the magnificent Amsterdam Concertgebouw setting. I attended this recital in October 2015 and back then it was with the ravishing Tchaikovsky Seasons, not often heard in complete form in the concert-hall, that Matsuev left the strongest impression.

Revisiting the recital now from the comfort of the living room, it's still the Tchaikovsky that's worth the price of admission for me. Matsuev is a fabulous pianist, as we all know. Yet he isn't always the most subtle musician. His technique allows him to tackle about everything with complete freedom. Yet it's exactly this freedom which can get the better of his musical intelligence and poetic instinct. At his best, though, Matsuev finds a balance between his big, overwhelming sound-sculpting and the nuances of the text. When he does, he can be utterly compelling, as in most of the Tchaikovsky here. When not, he can be utterly monochrome and even cartoonish. As in Schumann's Kreisleriana and, perhaps surprisingly, in parts of Stravinsky's Petrushka too.

In Tchaikovsky's Seasons Matsuev captures the character of each of the pieces with precision. He is mesmerizing when he slows down and lets the music breathe in sheer contrast to the more eruptive passages. Characteristically for Tchaikovsky, the often deceptively joyous air is balanced by a darker undercurrent, effortlessly captured by the pianist. Every month may be crafted into a miniature gem, it's Matsuev's sense of unity, which makes you forget Tchaikovsky composed them on a monthly basis, that is the most impressive.

I wasn't that convinced by Matsuev's rendition of Keisleriana and neither I am now. It's German 19th-century romanticism in an average modern, 21st-century Russian translation. While obviously focused and articulated, Matsuev is emphatic and relentless, even aggressive, verging on the demonstrative in the more turbulent passages. His sonority turns uniformly loud and booming, lacking in contrast and color. It isn't the recording, since I had the very same impression live in the Concertgebouw where the acoustics inflated the basses even more.

Stravinsky's Petrushka kicks off well enough, lively and well-shaped, but also loses its interest in the final Shrovetide Fair part which Matsuev turns into a steamroller of big sound (again these booming basses), rather than an attempt to bring out the harmonic and percussive possibilities of the instrument. Impressive as a knockout display of stamina and powerhouse pianism, perhaps, but hardly the stuff for repeated listening.

The recital ended with a well-constructed and well-played series of encores. From Lyadov's Musical Snuffbox, Op. 32, over Tchaikovsky's superb Méditation, Op. 72/5 and the rare Sibelius's Etude in A Minor, Op. 76/2 (it's so rare that EuroArts even forgot to list it in the booklet) to Scriabin's turbulent Etude in D-sharp Minor, Op. 8/12 and Matsuev's own dazzling and funny Jazz Improvisations.

Denis Matsuev fans won't hesitate although they too will be disappointed by the lack of true HD in image and sound. Others will mainly go for the beautiful performance of a Tchaikovsky rarity.

Copyright © 2017, Marc Haegeman