Rachmaninov and restraint are not words that usually belong in the same sentence. But Alexander Mogilevsky's performance of the Third Piano Concerto, with Mikhail Pletnev and The Philharmonia, attempted to rethink this notoriously expansive and emotive work. His fast speeds and clipped phrasing transformed the atmosphere of the opening theme.
Far from romantic hyperbole, the melody sang with classical serenity. Even in the massive perorations of the first movement's cadenza, Mogilevsky refused the opportunity for emotional directness. Instead, at his best, he played with clarity and control. But there were downsides to this interpretation. This concerto, more than almost any other, relies on the charisma of its soloist to connect together its loose structure. But Mogilevsky's self-effacing style could not provide enough interpretative glue. And although the finale was impressively noisy, it was curiously under-powered: as if Mogilevsky had completed a rigorous technical exercise rather than been part of a powerful musical experience. Pletnev's cool-headed accompaniment did not help his soloist, and in the coda, they were dangerously out of step with one another.
The concert was framed by arrangements of Mussorgsky: Rimsky-Korsakov's of the Prelude to Khovanshchina, and Ravel's of Pictures at an Exhibition. The solemn tintinnabulations of Khovanshchina were echoed in the glorious peals of the Great Gate of Kiev. Pletnev sculpted the final climax magnificently. Instead of an unrelenting musical barrage, he turned the piece into a kaleidoscopic blaze of colour. But Pletnev's Pictures only came to life in this closing paragraph. Before then, this was another interpretation of musical and emotional detachment.
Pletnev failed to create any dramatic contrast between the fairy tale lightness and nightmarish darkness of Mussorgsky's music. He never engaged with the players, who were left to interpret his inscrutable gestures as best they could. Lapses of ensemble smudged each of these brilliant character pieces, and the result was a literal, two dimensional performance.
