Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz brings passion and rapture to S’pore debut

Rafal Blechacz Piano Recital

Rafal Blechacz
Esplanade Concert Hall
Feb 5, 7.30pm

Every winner of the prestigious International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition since 2000 has performed in Singapore, except for Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz. That anomaly was righted with the Singapore debut of the 2005 “Chopin Champion”, the informal title bestowed on Blechacz by Finger Waltz Music Productions, which presented his solo recital.

Opening with Ludwig van Beethoven’s popular Piano Sonata No. 14 In C Sharp Minor (Op. 27 No. 2), also known as the Moonlight Sonata, Blechacz conjured a dreamy atmosphere for its famous first movement. His deft use of the sustaining pedal accounted for its nocturnal and echo-ey feel, without overdoing it.

Then the gloves came off for the folk-like dance of the second movement, and the tempest-tossed finale, which rumbled unapologetically to a tumultuous close.

Beethoven had left the constraints of the Classical era well behind to fearlessly enter the Romantic era, which he shared with Austrian composer Franz Schubert.

For Schubert’s Four Impromptus Op. 90 (D. 899), the earlier of two sets, Blechacz sensitively brought out both Classical restraint and Romantic ardour. Clean lines tinged with melancholy defined the first and longest Impromptu (in C minor), while his dexterous right hand surmounted the vertiginous etude-like second E flat major piece.

Poetry came to the fore in the G flat major Impromptu, one with a seamless singing tone, and possibly Schubert’s most beloved piano melody. Finally, feather-light filigree and more lyricism defined the fourth and final A flat major piece.

One might take issue with the programme booklet, which had all the keys wrong, but not the pianist.

A second half of Chopin’s music was what the well-filled house was waiting for, and Blechacz did not disappoint.

Dispelling the notion that the Polish pianist-composer’s music was sickly or effete, one could feel the temperature rise in the Barcarolle In F Sharp Major (Op. 60) as the gondolier’s love song built up to a rapturous climax. Similarly, in the Third Ballade In A Flat Major (Op. 47), passion was never sacrificed for the sake of mere prettiness.

In the Three Mazurkas (Op. 50), Blechacz’s instinctive feel for the ¾-time dance rhythm, with well-placed accents dotting the landscape, stood him out as quintessentially Polish. In these seemingly simple folk-like pieces, the spirit of his homeland came through most vividly.

The recital was completed with Scherzo No. 3 In C Sharp Minor (Op. 39), fraught with tricky octave passages and more cascading filigree. These contrasting devices are what distinguished Chopin’s Scherzi (an Italian term for joke), which were anything but slapstick or comedic. Blechacz had completely grasped the implicit and subtle humour.

Given the ovation, he could not have left without playing an encore or two. Thus, he obliged with Chopin’s Waltz In C Sharp Minor (Op. 64 No. 2), pure elegance personified, and the playful Scherzo from Beethoven’s early Sonata In A Major (Op. 2 No. 2).

Rising abruptly from the keyboard, Blechacz drew even more cheers. The season for piano recitals has just begun.