Ivo Pogorelich
I had the priveledge of going to Ivo Pogorelich's recital yesterday at Suntory Hall in Tokyo and oh what a priveledge it was.
Wow - just - Wow....
It is impossible to describe what it was like but I came home loving music more and my hope for humanity renewed. It was an experience - not just a concert.
The over 3000 capacity hall was not totally full but I could tell that everyone there was really there to hear "Pogorelich" and not just a pianist.
I have never heard such a quiet sound from the piano in that hall and everyone was so intensely listening, trying not to miss a single sound.
It was as if he was inviting us into the deepest part of his soul. The sound, the music was unworldly. And it wasn't just serene but also at times passionate and full of inner energy.
Never an unintentional tone nor phrase and played with total honesty and dignity.
Apparently his recent performances are very controversial and I totally get that. I'm sure there would have been plenty of people that might have thought his playing was boring and too introvert. But in truth, it's never self indulgent nor does he exclude the audience.
There's no flashiness to his playing, no exagerated gestures. Nothing of which even the classical world has become accustomed to is there. He invites you into his world which is full of compassion and beauty in the stillness of his soul.
What a pianist!!
