All eyes were on Daniil Trifonov’s remarkably agile fingers as he played Prokofiev’s third piano concerto whilst fellow Russian Valery Gergiev, who is Honorary President of the Edinburgh International Festival, took a relaxed and graceful overall control - and conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Daniil Trifonov, born in Russia in 1991, is in the top flight of young pianists. He is enjoying a whirlwind international career after winning the Tchaikovsky, Rubinstein and Chopin Competitions. His performance was much admired in Edinburgh last year.
The Alexander Nevsky we heard was Prokofiev’s own concert arrangement, as a cantata, of the score for the historical drama of 1938 he created for another Russian, filmmaker Sergey Eisenstein. The seven parts correspond to scenes in the film of the thirteenth century battles between the Russians and the Germans.
Another young Russian star, the Mariinsky Opera mezzo-soprano, Yulia Matochkina, sung quite beautifully The Field of the Dead lament ‘He who died nobly for Russia will receive my kiss on his dead eyes’.
Christopher Bell looked particularly pleased with his Edinburgh Festival Chorus when he came on stage at the end. The one hundred and seventy or so, in eight rows behind the Orchestra, were singing mostly in Russian, but also in Latin - it was remarkably easy to follow in the programme notes, firm and entertaining.
It is a long time since I have heard quite so much satisfaction with a concert as I listened to conversations on my way out to Lothian Road. Without doubt, a particularly uplifting start to this year’s International Festival.
Event: Friday 9 August 2013, 7.30pm