Sergey Schepkin at the National Concert Hall, 27^th January 2015

Pianist Sergey Schepkin was in the National Concert Hall’s John Field Room for a recital of works that ranged from the diminutive to the grandiose. It’s the music of Bach and Mussorgsky that make up the bulk of the programme, but Schepkin opens with a selection of preludes from Debussy.

Bruyeres, the first of the three, is a delicate work, concise; Schepkin’s playing is lyrical but somewhat restrained. Ce qu’a vu le Vent d’Ouest, or What the West Wind Has Seen, calls for a more robust approach. Schepkin proves equal to the technical challenges the piece throws up, the rippling arpeggiations coupled with the ominous discord of the bass is effective, even if the piano’s sound is constrained by the muted ambience of the room. The final selection, La Cathedrale engloutie, fares better, its shifting layers of overlaid sound never muddied.

Bach’s Partita VI in E minor marks an abrupt shift in tone. Moving from the subtle sonorities of Debussy, Bach’s work presents a different set of technical challenges. The opening Toccata is fluid, Schepkin showing a dexterous touch. The rippling lines of the Corrente are even, balanced and clear. The fifth movement Sarabande is lyrical and warm, taken with a light touch.

The final programmed piece is Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition – his monumental masterwork is a physically demanding work, its ten movements and interludes making full use of the piano’s range. The opening Promenade is taken at a quick pace, forceful, almost rushed. By the time we get to the second movement, Il Vecchio Castello, Schepkin has found a more measured approach, the resonant sounds of the piano given space. That sense of balance seems precarious; the bass tones in Bydlo, or Oxen, are at times almost lost to the room, though Schepkin maintains control.

The final sequence of movements is strong; the ominous chords of Catacombae ringing out, setting the scene for what is to come. The Hut on Chicken’s Legs is powerful, the tremolo constant as Schepkin builds towards the finale. When the chords of The Great Gate of Kiev finally break through, Schepkin leans forward, prepares for the final sequence – as it builds, he draws an ever bigger sound from the piano, the ultimate chords are rich, complex.

Though he remarks that he’d “Normally never do an encore after the ‘Pictures…’, Schepkin steps back to his keyboard, for the Sarabande from Bach’s French Suite No. III. Short and sweet, it’s no match for the bombast of Mussorgsky’s finale, but no less fine a piece for it.

Programme

Claude Debussy – Bruyeres

– Ce qu’a vu le Vent d’Ouest

– La Cathedrale engloutie

J.S. Bach – Partita VI in E minor, BWV 830

Modest Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition