Asmik Grigorian and Lukas Geniušas came to Carnegie Hall. The venue is an underground 600-seat venue shaken from the subway vibrations. The program is Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. The first and second halves are entirely different worlds. Both are dark and sad songs, but it's December, winter in New York. Asmik wore a leopard costume, and Lukas was dressed like a wild animal tamer. Since Mesto and Salome at Salzburg in 2018, their overwhelming presence has swept Europe. Is this the standard in Europe? When the two appeared, there was a storm of bravos. Tchaikovsky, who was fascinated by the joys and pains of love in late 19th century Russia, Pushkin, Tolstoy, and even enthusiastic lovers of the middle and aristocratic classes, were more interested in whether the poems he wrote evoked a strong personal response in himself than in their artistic qualities. Therefore, the world that Asmik and Lukas unfolded was a personal confession that genuinely resonated with the message of the poems. Rachmani wrote a letter to the poet who selected the poem, saying that he would not play the music unless it were sad.
The second half is also wonderfully dark. And it is on a larger scale than Tchaikovsky. So, it is even higher in magnitude than Tchaikovsky's forte. A massive mass of emotion changes shape in slow motion before your eyes; before you know it, it is booming. Detox. Rachmaninoff was also a lyricist, writing about 85 songs in Russia. Still, Asmik sang the moving melodies with his rich vocals, and Lukas created the world with his outstanding skill. Asmik selected Rachmaninoff's songs in the order of their composition, starting with two from Opus 4, which the composer published in 1893. This is an early work that Rachmani composed in his late teens.
"In the Silence of the Secret Night" is the earliest work, composed around 1892 when he was a student at the Moscow Conservatory. It is a magnificent example of passionate Russian lyric poetry. At the beginning, the piano introduces a gentle and beautiful descending motif, which resonates as the singer enters, and at the climax, the piano thunders with a significant chord. "Beautiful maiden, do not sing to me" is set to a poem by Pushkin, and Rachmaninoff, inspired by the reference to Georgian song, renders it with an exotic melisma in the style of Russian orientalism, influenced by Borodin. The final moment is terrific when the singer slowly descends from a high pianissimo note to a melancholic, swaying melody reprised by the piano. There are countless examples, but Lucas created a presence throughout the piece, experiencing Asmik's confession in that world. At times, Lucas' center of gravity leaned far to the left, enveloping Asmik's intense emotional upsurge like a grand orchestral climax. The weight of Lucas' piano tone was as heavy as Kissin's, and his rendering had the same scent as Julius Drake, Malcolm Martinu, Helmut Deutsch, and other great accompanists of the past. He has the unique drama of songs in a supernatural way. It seems that his parents and those before him were all pianists. A tour of Japan is planned for 2025, so I'm looking forward to it. I was truly fascinated and felt a great power in Asmik's presence, but not a single tear fell. It was just fun. And they were also enjoying their first Carnegie recital and our time together. Asmik received a second large bouquet of roses, shouted thank you loudly, and disappeared to the other side of the stage as the audience gave mighty applause until the end. It's been a long time since the diva appeared in New York.
アスミク・グレゴリアンとルーカス・ゲニウシャスがカーネギーにやってきた。べニューは地下の600席。地下鉄がぶるぶるくる。プログラムはチャイコとラフマニノフ。前半と後半で全く違う世界。どっちも暗くて悲しい曲ばかりだが、12月、冬のニューヨーク。アスミクはレオパードの衣装で、ルーカスはまるで猛獣使いのような装い。2018年ザルツでメストとサロメ以来、ヨーロッパを席巻してきた圧倒的なプレゼンス。これがヨーロッパのスタンダードか！2人が登場するとブラボーの嵐。愛の喜びと苦しみの19世紀後半のロシア、プーシキン、トルストイから中流階級や貴族階級の熱心な愛好家まで魅了したチャイコフスキーは作った詩の芸術資質よりも、それが自分の中に強い個人的な反応を呼び起こすかどうかに関心があったそうだ。そのため、アスミクとルーカスの繰り広げる世界は詩のメッセージに心から共感し、個人的な告白になっていた。ラフマニは彼のために詩を選んだ詩人に悲しくないと曲をかけないと手紙を出したそうだ。後半も素晴らしく暗い。そしてチャイコよりスケールがでかい。だから、チャイコのフォルテより一段とマグニチュードが上だ。巨大な感情の塊が目の前でスローモーションで形を変えながら、気が付いたらドーンと鳴っている。デトックス。ラフマニノフは作詞家でもあり、ロシア時代を通じて85曲ほど書いているが、アスミクはその感動的なメロディーを豊かなボーカルで歌い、ルーカスは卓越した技量で、その世界を創造する。アスミクはラフマニノフの歌曲を作曲順に選曲し、作曲家が1893年に発表した作品4から2曲で始めた。これはラフマニが10代後半だった頃に作曲した初期のもの。「秘密の夜の静寂の中で」は最も初期の作品で、彼がモスクワ音楽院の学生だった1892年頃に作曲された。情熱的なロシアの抒情詩の見事な例である。冒頭、ピアノが優しく美しい下降モチーフを導入し、歌手が登場するとそのモチーフが響き渡り、クライマックスではピアノが大きな和音で轟かせる。「美しい乙女よ、私に歌わないで」は、プーシキンの詩につけられており、ラフマニノフは、グルジアの歌への言及からヒントを得て、ボロディンの影響がみられるロシア東洋主義スタイルのエキゾチックなメリスマでそれを表現した。特に最後の瞬間は素晴らしく、歌手がピアニッシモの高音からピアノのメランコリックな揺れるメロディーのリプライズにのってゆっくりと下降する。あげるときりがないが、ルーカスは終始、気配を作り出し、その世界の中でアスミクの個人的な告白を体験していた。時にルーカスの重心は左に大きく傾き、壮大なオーケストラのクライマックスのように、アスミクの激しい心の高まりを包み込んでいた。そしてルーカスのピアノの音色の重さはキーシンのように重たく、彼のレンダリングはジュリアス・ドレイクやマルコム・マルティヌーやヘルムート・ドイチェら、歴代の名伴奏たちと同じ匂いがした。歌曲が持つ独特のドラマを超天然で彼は持っている。親やその前もみんなピアニストのようだ。2025年には日本ツアーも予定されているので、楽しみだ。心から魅了されていたし、アスミクの存在に大きな力を感じたが、涙が一粒もこぼれなかった。ただただ、楽しかった。そして、彼らも彼らにとって初めてのカーネギーと私たちの時間をただただ満喫していた。アスミクは2つめの大きなバラの花束を受け取り、大きな声でサンキューと叫さけぶと、聴衆が最後まで力強い拍手を送り続ける中、ステージの向こう側に消えていった。久々にディーバがニューヨークに現れた。
Asmik Grigorian, Soprano
Lukas Geniušas, Piano
At Carnegie Hall 12.12.2024
Program
TCHAIKOVSKY "Amid the din of the ball," Op. 38, No. 3
TCHAIKOVSKY "Again, as Before, Alone," Op. 73, No. 6
TCHAIKOVSKY "None but the Lonely Heart," Op. 6, No. 6
TCHAIKOVSKY "A tear trembles"
TCHAIKOVSKY Romance in F Minor, Op. 5
TCHAIKOVSKY Scherzo humoristique, Op. 19, No. 2
TCHAIKOVSKY "I bless you, forests," Op. 47, No. 5
TCHAIKOVSKY "Do not Ask," Op. 57, No. 3
RACHMANINOFF "In the silence of the secret night," Op. 4, No. 3
RACHMANINOFF "Oh, Do Not Sing to Me, Fair Maiden"
RACHMANINOFF "Child, thou art as beautiful as a flower," Op. 8, No. 2
RACHMANINOFF "The Dream," Op. 8, No. 5
RACHMANINOFF "Spring Waters," Op. 14, No. 11
RACHMANINOFF "Oh, do not grieve!" Op. 14, No. 8
RACHMANINOFF "I wait for thee," Op. 14, No. 1
RACHMANINOFF Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 32, No. 12
RACHMANINOFF Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 32, No. 13
RACHMANINOFF "Twilight," Op. 21, No. 3
RACHMANINOFF "How fair this spot," Op. 21, No. 7
RACHMANINOFF "Let Us Rest," Op. 26, No. 3
RACHMANINOFF "Dissonance," Op. 34, No. 13
by classicasobi