Alexander Melnikov

The Frankfurter Allgemeine summed it up perfectly: "Everything about his playing speaks of deliberation and skill. And yet there is no hint of instruction, just laughter, dreaming, grief and dance". The subject of these laudatory words is pianist Alexander Melnikov, once a finalist at the Queen Elizabeth Competition, now a rare all-rounder. Two seasons ago, in his marathon of Shostakovich's Preludes & Fugues, he proved his skill in tackling the Russian repertoire. On the other hand, this native Muscovite also displays some rather un-Russian traits: a lightness of touch, a playful tone, and a flirtation with authentic performance practice. In this recital, Melnikov displays both sides. We hear his Russian roots in Scriabin's ecstatic 'Fantasie' and Prokofiev's penetrating Sixth Piano Sonata, the first of his monumental 'War Sonatas'. There is a much more slender sound to Schubert's 'Klavierstücke', a trio of apocryphal impromptus that provided inspiration for Brahms' 'Fantasien'.