Malmö SO (live stream), 08/04/2021
Shostakovich : Piano Concerto No. 1
Sibelius : Symphony No. 7
Shostakovich : Piano Concerto No. 2
Boris Giltburg, piano
Gustav Melander, trumpet
Malmö Symphony Orchestra
Patrik Ringborg
The pianist introduces himself, in Shostakovich's 1st Piano Concerto, with a very 'look at me' gesture, a fast descending, then ascending scale, a call to attention punctuated by the trumpet, before presenting a brooding first subject that completely blindsides you to the overall impression of the concerto, which is of a particularly zany silent film score. The correct title of the piece is Concerto for piano, trumpet and strings, but the trumpet, although important, is not a full soloist on a level with the pianist. It's more like a commentary - frequently sarcastic, and sometimes quite rude - on the music around him. In that respect, I found Gustav Melander a little polite; it was very nice playing, and the muted section in the slow movement was eloquent, but on the whole I would have like a little more bite. Boris Giltburg, however, was crisp, sharp and zesty throughout, negotiating the often very abrupt changes of mood with ease.
Sibelius's last symphony is an extraordinary work, it seems to breathe on its own, like some vast, primordial creature hidden in deep forests, where the sun only penetrates lightly. The Malmö Symphony Orchestra's strings had just the right sort of lustre to their sound, instantly identifiable as Sibelius, and Ringborg's tempi were well chosen, expansive without being too languid, tautening into the briefly explosive passages.
Giltburg returned for the more popular 2nd Piano Concerto. It's less quixotic than the first, with a more classic structure, and faint hints of Prokofiev, or the once very popular Khachaturian Piano Concerto in the music. It's ostensibly much simpler, but requires an equally deft touch from the soloist, which Giltburg provided effortlessly, with clean, precise playing, and a nice, quiet lyricism in the slow movement. The orchestra receded rather into the background during this concerto, whereas it had been very much part of the hi-jinks of the first concerto, but nevertheless provided fresh, sympathetic support to a bright and lively soloist.