Concert information
Biennale of the Berliner Philharmoniker
At the invitation of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Info
Was the world a better place in the Romantic era? Alexander Melnikov explores this question through his piano recital – following the theme of our Biennale entitled Paradise lost? On the threat to nature. With Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, Melnikov leads you through idyllic landscapes and man-made chasms, reveals the poetry of Schumann’s Waldszenen, and shows atmospheric images of nature in Franz Liszt’s piano works. The forest appears here as a place of retreat – from the self and from encroaching industrialisation. By contrast, Alexander Scriabin prophesies the destruction of the world in the grand conflagration of Vers la flamme.
Artists
Alexander Melnikov piano
Programme
Franz Schubert
Fantasia in C major, D 760 “Wanderer Fantasy”
Robert Schumann
Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), op. 82
Interval
Franz Liszt
Waldesrauschen
Franz Liszt
Gnomenreigen
Franz Liszt
Nuages gris
Alexander Scriabin
Vers la flamme, op. 72
Alexander Scriabin
Deux Dances, op. 73
Alexander Scriabin
Five Preludes, op. 74
Alexander Scriabin
Piano Sonata No. 9, op. 68 ‟Black Massˮ
Chamber Music Hall
16 to 38 €
Series U: Piano
Remaining tickets are available by telephone via +49 30 254 88-999 or at the box office.
Biography
Alexander Melnikov
Alexander Melnikov is an eccentric in the best sense of the word. He comes from the legendary Russian school of pianists, and the great Sviatoslav Richter is his role model. You can hear this heritage in the passion, richness of sound and perfection of his interpretations. And then there is an influence from a completely different sphere: Alexander Melnikov is passionately interested in historical performance practice, which aims for transparency and the revitalisation of old playing techniques. One of the most important pianists in this field is Andreas Staier, with whom Alexander Melnikov studied and with whom he plays four-hands in public. But how does he build a bridge between these two spheres of influence? The answer is: in a very natural way. He himself says that studying early music “made him see the phenomena of the ‘modern’ piano in their historical context - that changes things”.
What sounds abstract becomes plausible when you listen to Melnikov play: how he combines romantic indulgence seemingly effortlessly with an audibility borrowed from the Baroque. Alexander Melnikov’s career also reflects his stylistic range. He has performed with major symphony orchestras such as the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam and the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, while also working with leading early music ensembles such as the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
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