By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Dmitri Alexeev recently appeared as a jury member at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition ― an event founded in honor of the American pianist who captured top prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow during the height of the Cold War in 1958.
Alexeev himself partook in a historic cultural exchange some 20 years ago, when he played with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea. It was the first time a Russian ensemble visited Seoul since the North-Side divide of the Korean Peninsula.
``Now of course it’s completely different,’’ the master pianist told The Korea Times, Friday evening at KBS Hall, downtown Seoul, before performing with the Hannu Litnu-led KBS Symphony Orchestra. He had wowed crowds the previous evening at Seoul Arts Center with a timeless Russian work, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
``It was good, with a nice orchestra and a good conductor, and the audience was enthusiastic,’’ he said, recalling the evening.
Only recently has the technically taxing, emotionally tumultuous piece been spotlighted here. Young Chinese pianist Yundi Li showcased it in 2008, followed by the even younger Ukrainian Alexander Gavrylyuk earlier this year.
Alexeev, now in his early 60s, said his interpretation of the concerto has transformed over the years. ``It changed without my wish, which really surprises even me sometimes. In my case it became more natural,’’ he said. ``Yes, more organic and more Romantic.’’
The ominous piece, which Prokofiev wrote shortly following the death of his father and dedicated to a friend who committed suicide, is as un-Romantic as a piece of classical music can be. ``This music is not Romantic, in fact it’s anti-Romantic,’’ he said.
``It’s parallel to Stravinsky’s `Rite of Spring’ ― very barbaric, with an enormous, cosmic scale that’s like a volcanic eruption. But nevertheless, there are still lots of human elements, lots of beautiful melodies. A hundred years later (since it was written) it’s still one of the last pieces of Romantic music, although obviously it is not like Chopin or Schumann. It’s a different type of beauty,’’ he said.
Indeed, the concerto’s chromatic dissonance took on a balletic, yet structured and sharply delineated form under Alexeev’s supple fingers. ``Yes, of course I always get nervous,’’ he said before taking the stage. But he commanded the piece with assurance, deconstructing the light and dark sounds with poetry and grace.
It was the same piece showcased by two of the top three Cliburn performers this year, Chinese gold medalist Haochen Zhang and South Korean silver medalist Son Yeol-eum.
``It’s always interesting to hear young players,’’ Alexeev said. ``I liked all three winners this year. The Chinese boy (Zhang) was very promising. He is very young but sounds very mature and knows what he’s doing. He plays while building a structure, which is surprising for such a young artist.
``The Japanese boy (joint gold medalist Nobuyuki Tsujii) was amazing in just so many ways. The Korean girl (Son), I liked very much. She was very artistic and has potential. She has very good technical abilities and she will play somewhat differently in the future I imagine. Her Prokofiev was impressive, as well as her solo pieces of Liszt and French music,’’ he said.
In his youth, Alexeev had won top competitions including the Marguerite Long, Tchaikovsky and Leeds events. So what is the most important advice he can give to rising artists? ``The only thing I can suggest to all young artists is to remember why we make music ― we love it. The more you love the better you can understand it,’’ he said.
This season, Alexeev looks forward to more concert engagements and his new teaching position in London, as well as a recording project.