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Choral and Vocal
CANTIAMO'S VIRTUOSO SINGING INSIDE AT ST. SEREPHIM'S CHURCH
by Pamela Hicks Gailey
Sunday, June 4, 2023
Symphony
TWIN PEAKS AND TWIN PIANOS AT THE SANTA ROSA SYMPHONY
by Steve Osborn
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Symphony
ALASDAIR NEALE’S JUBILANT FAREWELL TO MARIN SYMPHONY
by Abby Wasserman
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Opera
SANTA ROSA'S MAJESTICAL MAGIC FLUTE IN WEILL
by Pamela Hicks Gailey
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Choral and Vocal
SPLENDID GOOD FRIDAY RUTTER REQUIEM AT CHURCH OF THE ROSES
by Pamela Hicks Gailey
Friday, April 7, 2023
Chamber
A JOURNEY THROUGH MUSICAL TIME
by Abby Wasserman
Sunday, April 2, 2023
Symphony
ORCHESTRA SHOWPIECES CLOSE SO CO PHIL'S SEASON
by Terry McNeill
Saturday, April 1, 2023
Symphony
FROM THE DANUBE TO PUERTO RICO
by Steve Osborn
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Chamber
SAKURA AND THE MUSICAL ART OF ARRANGEMENT
by Abby Wasserman
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Chamber
WEIGHTY RUSSIAN SONATAS IN MALOFEEV'S 222 GALLERY RECITAL
by Terry McNeill
Sunday, March 12, 2023
CHAMBER REVIEW
The 222 / Sunday, March 12, 2023
Alexander Malofeev, piano

Pianist Alexander Malofeev

WEIGHTY RUSSIAN SONATAS IN MALOFEEV'S 222 GALLERY RECITAL

by Terry McNeill
Sunday, March 12, 2023

Russian pianists on American tours often play blockbuster programs, so it was no surprise that Alexander Malofeev’s s recital in Healdsburg’s posh 222 Gallery had Rachmaninoff’s monumental B Flat Sonata as the capstone.

The 21-minute work in the 1931 version received a thunderous reading that favored powerful pianism at the expense of refinement. Well, it’s that kind of a piece. It’s in three movements that sound almost as one, and throughout Mr. Malofeev built the many climaxes with potent sonority, leavened by the subtle repose of the lovely slow section.

The demanding technical challenges never seemed a hurdle for the pianist, and his playing was actually rhapsodic at times, with a lovely piano tone even at fast tempos, high volume and difficult hand positions.

The pianist’s approach at this recital avoided the ruthless keyboard pounding of countryman Denis Matsuev, and fortunately it was closer to another Russian, the superstar Daniil Trifonov. This was evident in the two Beethoven Sonatas of the first half, the “Moonlight” (Op. 27, No. 2) and the “Tempest” (Op. 31, No. 2).

Initial playing in the C-Sharp Minor was slow with ample shift pedal use and some old fashioned breaking of chords, with strict tempo. The Allegretto was played conventionally, eschewing the piquant dance character. Of course the artist let loose in the Presto Agitato with a bevy of tremolos and staccato chord passages. Loud applause ensued.

Mr. Malofeev’s performance of the D minor Sonata was one of the recitals highlights, as his combination of careful pedaling in the recitatives was masterly. All the musical interruptions made the four-note melancholic motive in the finale all the more persuasive. Here also ritards were at a minimum and the even, flowing tempo gave the music (mostly quiet) perfect shape and weight.

Prior to the Rachmaninoff Moisey Weinberg’s Fourth Sonata, in B Minor, was heard. This work from 1955, now being played more since the Russian pianist Gilels discovered it, was initially played very fast with detaché touch and speedy scales. There is a dab of Prokofiev here, but the real reference is to Shostakovich’s harmonic style. However, Weinberg’s Sonata is quite unique, and over 22 minutes Mr. Malofeev wove a lovely tapestry of beguiling sound. His left-hand skips were exact and control of the constantly shifting dynamics faultless.

If convincing playing in the recital was quiet, the encore was a balanced mix of sound – Pletnev‘s transcription of a Tchaikovsky waltz from “Nutcracker” ballet. The audience, the largest at the 222 Gallery in recent memory, rose for another ovation.