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Krylov, Petrenko, LPO, Royal Festival Hall

David Truslove, March 2, 2018

“World-beating musicianship from Sergej Krylov in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto”

As part of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s ongoing exploration of the life and works of Igor Stravinsky this latest concert juxtaposed Tchaikovsky’s sunlit Violin Concerto with two works associated with the Ballets Russes, now heard more often in their concert versions. By any standards this was an attractive programme, but what made the evening so special was the inspirational presence of Vasily Petrenko (Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra) and the astonishing playing of Sergej Krylov.

The rapport between these two Russians was evident throughout Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, given a well-paced account that just glowed from start to finish. One could only marvel at the freshness and spontaneity of Krylov’s playing – there was iron and sweetness in his tone and everything else in between. Technique and intonation were faultless, runs were immaculately executed and his capacity to transform a simple phrase into gold

with such subtlety of dynamic shading and adjustment of colour was fabulous. Under Krylov, Tchaikovsky’s opening movement traversed wistful dreaminess to aristocratic grandeur and his tonal control was beyond reproach. So enthralled was I by his virtuosity I barely noticed the orchestral support. That said, Petrenko’s tempi were just right and climaxes were perfectly shaped – especially when urging the players forward just before the cadenza.

Azure skies of the affecting Canzonetta were given further lustre by Timothy Lines’ eloquent clarinet and Krylov who seemed to pour his heart and soul into every bar, his rapt attention bringing out every nuance of tone that was mesmerising. The Finale: Allegro
vivacissimo was exactly that – an adrenalin-fuelled tempo that brought seat-of-the-pants exhilaration and boundless joy. One could almost sense unrestrained delight from Krylov as his bow-wielding constantly refuted the claim by the work’s dedicatee

Leopold Auer that it was “unplayable”. At thirty-four minutes this performance would also have dismissed Edward Hanslick’s assertion that the work was “long and pretentious”. Further virtuosity followed in the shape of Paganini’s Caprice no. 24 in A minor.

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Krylov, Petrenko, LPO, Royal Festival Hall

Geoff Brown, February 28, 2018

“Sergej Krylov transfixed the house, fiddling with the kind of effortless lyricism and mercurial tones that distinguish the best violinists”

Considering the temperature outside — it felt like minus 25C — this London Philharmonic Orchestra concert needed something other than Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite to start us off and banish that icicle feeling. With Vasily Petrenko at the helm and some pungent phrasings from the brass, it certainly sounded bouncy enough; light as a feather too. Yet tidy instrumentation and the 18th-century poise lingering inside Stravinsky’s reworkings of Pergolesi (or composers thereabouts) couldn’t help but make for a rather cool experience.

Everything changed with the arrival of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and its soloist, Sergej Krylov. From his first note he transfixed the house, fiddling with the kind of effortless lyricism, liquid flow and mercurial tones that distinguish the best violinists playing at their best. This concerto may be prolix and garrulous, but with Krylov burning through its themes and skittering at impossible speed through the finale’s double-stopped parade, even this Tchaikovsky sceptic was won over.

I was most impressed by Krylov’s multiple colours and dynamic shifts, which were all blended into long lines of singing rapture stretching into the horizon. Petrenko and the orchestra added wonders of their own with darkly glowing textures and exquisitely sonorous woodwind playing at the start of the second movement. Krylov’s encore of Paganini’s 24th Caprice was the cherry on the cake.

For all the sultry splendour of Ravel’s ballet Daphnis and Chloe — presented here in its streamlined form as two concert suites — the second half couldn’t help seem a slight disappointment after Tchaikovsky’s furnace. Yet there was still much to enjoy, from Juliette Bausor’s limpid flute and the pellucid beauty of two rippling harps to the beckoning heat of the morning sunrise and the final bacchanale. Outside the Festival Hall, unfortunately, the temperature hadn’t changed.

 

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Krylov, Petrenko, LPO, Royal Festival Hall

David Truslove, March 2, 2018

“World-beating musicianship from Sergej Krylov”

“…what made the evening so special was the inspirational presence of Vasily Petrenko and the astonishing playing of Sergej Krylov.”

“…iron and sweetness in his tone and everything else in between.”

As part of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s ongoing exploration of the life and works of Igor Stravinsky this latest concert juxtaposed Tchaikovsky’s sunlit Violin Concerto with two works associated with the Ballets Russes, now heard more often in their concert versions. By any standards this was an attractive programme, but what made the evening so special was the inspirational presence of Vasily Petrenko (Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra) and the astonishing playing of Sergej Krylov.

The rapport between these two Russians was evident throughout Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, given a well-paced account that just glowed from start to finish. One could only marvel at the freshness and spontaneity of Krylov’s playing – there was iron and sweetness in his tone and everything else in between. Technique and intonation were faultless, runs were immaculately executed and his capacity to transform a simple phrase into gold with such subtlety of dynamic shading and adjustment of colour was fabulous. Under Krylov, Tchaikovsky’s opening movement traversed wistful dreaminess to aristocratic grandeur and his tonal control was beyond reproach. So enthralled was I by his virtuosity I barely noticed the orchestral support. That said, Petrenko’s tempi were just right and climaxes were perfectly shaped – especially when urging the players forward just before the cadenza.

Azure skies of the affecting Canzonetta were given further lustre by Timothy Lines’ eloquent clarinet and Krylov who seemed to pour his heart and soul into every bar, his rapt attention bringing out every nuance of tone that was mesmerising. The Finale: Allegro vivacissimo was exactly that – an adrenalin-fuelled tempo that brought seat-of-the-pants exhilaration and boundless joy. One could almost sense unrestrained delight from Krylov as his bow-wielding constantly refuted the claim by the work’s dedicatee Leopold Auer that it was “unplayable”. At thirty-four minutes this performance would also have dismissed Edward Hanslick’s assertion that the work was “long and pretentious”. Further virtuosity followed in the shape of Paganini’s Caprice no. 24 in A minor.

The evening opened with Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, his first major brush with Baroque idioms, and a bewildering volte face that contemporary audiences in 1920 must have found disorienting after his pre-war Russian ballets. From the start, and with a quintet of solo strings surrounding the podium, this was an account that fully underlined Stravinsky’s chamber sonorities, beautifully rendered by solo and tutti instrumental exchanges in the opening Sinfonia. The Serenata drew mellifluous playing from Ian Hardwick’s oboe and pairs of horns added warmth of line in the Scherzino. Petrenko’s Tarentella had a wonderful lightness of touch, yet rhythmically taut, and the Toccata exuded brilliance from brass and woodwind. The Gavotta too brought many felicitous details as did the Vivo with its distinctive and playful solos from double bass and fruity trombone – Stravinsky’s tongue here firmly in his cheek. Petrenko coaxed picture book vividness from the LPO, all contributing to the work’s witty cocktail of ideas with superb precision.

Following the interval, this ballet-themed concert continued with Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé (Suite 1 and 2). With the stage now swamped with players, including nine percussionists, thoughts drifted back to the change in Stravinsky’s style and orchestral use. But for Ravel’s languor and sumptuous harmonies his music could have been mistaken for Stravinsky’s Firebird. But with Petrenko’s firm control there was no possibility of detail      becoming submerged under instrumental weight. The whole felt as lean and fluid as Pulcinella had been earlier, eight double basses now providing a firm but not unwieldy foundation. Everything gelled from the finely opening Nocturne via the gloriously controlled Lever du jour through to the closing bacchanale of the Danse Générale. This was a meticulously prepared account, with balance, pace and brilliance of articulation combining to stunning effect.

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Las Palmas Gran Canaria | La Provincia

Krylov, Chichon, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Auditorio Alfredo Kraus

January 21, 2018

El violinista ruso Sergej Krylov sustituye a Pinchas Zukerman en el 34º Festival de Música

La organización alega que motivos de salud le impiden desplazarse a las Islas para participar en la programación de 2018 con la OFGC.

El violinista ruso Sergej Krylov regresará la próxima semana a Gran Canaria con motivo del 34º Festival Internacional de Música de Canarias(FIMC) para interpretar junto a la Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria(OFGC), dirigida por Karel Mark Chichon, el Concierto para violín y orquesta en re mayor Op. 61 de L. V. Beethoven. Krylov sustituirá en este concierto al violinista Pinchas Zukerman que ha traslado a la organización la imposibilidad de desplazarse a las islas por motivos de salud.

Los tres conciertos en los que participará se celebrarán el jueves 25 en el Auditorio Adán Martín (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 20.00 horas), viernes 26 en el Auditorio Alfredo Kraus (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 20.00 horas) y sábado 27 en el Palacio de Formación y Congresos de Fuerteventura(Puerto del Rosario, 20.30 horas).

Krylov vuelve a Canarias poco más de un mes después de su exitoso concierto, el pasado 5 de diciembre, con motivo del 20º Aniversario del Auditorio Alfredo Kraus. El músico ruso interpretó con la OFGC el Concierto en re para violín de Tchaikovski, en el que a juicio del crítico Guillermo García-Alcalde, “entregó una versión arrolladora en expresividad y virtuosismo trascendental. Admirable el inicial Moderato por la noble dicción y el sentido constructivo; penetrante el lirismo de la Canzonetta por su ensoñadora contabilidad; y vertiginoso sin trampas el Allegro vivacísimo (en el punto casi circense que subordina la música al alarde)”. García-Alcalde señala que su actuación fue ovacionada “hasta el delirio”. Y destacó de su estilo el “precioso portato eslavo, cálidos graves en la cuerda de sol, dobles cuerdas perfectas y armónicos inverosímiles”. Ante la respuesta entusiasta del público asistente, regaló un bis “de pasmo: el multiversionado Capricho 24 para violín solo de Paganini que cortaba el aliento en cada variación”.

Rosa Díaz Mayo, musicóloga y crítica musical del portal especializado www.docenotas.com, escribió sobre su actuación en el cierre de la temporada 2014-2015 de la OST, dirigida por Michal Nesterowicz en el Auditorio Adán Martín, que “el talentoso violinista Sergej Krylovinterpretó el Concierto para violín de Wieniawski sacando partido a una composición compuesta básicamente ad hoc para el lucimiento del solistas con claras influencias de la música zíngara (…). Lirismo y virtuosismo fueron las destrezas más destacadas de Krylov, a semejanza de los grandes violinistas del romanticismo, además de la habilidad expresiva inherente a la propia obra”. Al igual que en su concierto del Alfredo Kraus, Krylov regaló el mismo bis “que resaltó aún más su dominio técnico del violín y una mentalidad musical propia de la escuela rusa”.

Sergej Krylov se ha establecido como uno de los violinistas más talentosos de su generación, regularmente invitado a actuar en las principales salas de conciertos. Aparece con algunas de las orquestas más prestigiosas del mundo. Su amistad con Mstislav Rostropovich ha sido una de las influencias más importantes en la vida artística de Krylov. La musicalidad efervescente, el lirismo intenso y la seductora belleza tonal son algunas de las cualidades que han situado a Sergei Krylov entre los intérpretes más famosos de la actualidad. El violinista moscovita posee un virtuosismo impresionante que revela sus profundos conocimientos expresivos de las obras que aparecen en su repertorio, sorprendentemente amplio.

El programa para los tres conciertos incluye la interpretación del estreno de Campos del Sur para orquesta, de Víctor Landeira (obra encargo). Además de su faceta como compositor, Landeira es un reconocido intérprete y docente de guitarra. Según su autor, Campos del sur está ideada “como una suerte de poema sinfónico, aunque carente de carácter programático como tal. Su forma se erige siguiendo el esquema de la sonata clásica. En ocasiones puede conseguir evocar paisajes o visiones aunque ello no fuera mi intención primera. En otras secciones, sin embargo, sí que he tenido la intención de imitar el sonido de las rondallas de pulso y púa a través de sus ritmos y melodías cantables y armonías tradicionales que podrían ser acompañadas por un guitarrista popular”.

 

Cuando Beethoven compuso su Concierto para violín y orquesta en re mayor Op. 61 (único que escribió para este instrumento), el compositor alemán aún trataba de superar el fracaso de su ópera Fidelio. La obra está articulada en tres movimientos, Allegro ma non troppo, Larghetto y Rondó (Allegro). El primero de ellos es, sin duda, una de las páginas más populares de la historia de la música. Arranca con un preámbulo amplio que encierra un motivo rítmico de cuatro notas -cuatro ligeros golpes de timbal- que será constante en el movimiento, a modo de un latido del corazón. La dulzura de los dos primeros temas es notable y se expanden al desarrollo que lleva a una reexposición que equilibra la relación solista y orquesta para dejar paso a la cadenza y una amplia coda en la que el violín desarrolla en su integridad el segundo de los temas.

El Don Juan de R. Strauss y Capricho Español de Rimsky-Korsakovcompletan la participación de la OFGC en este 34º Festival Internacional de Música de Canarias.

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Stradivari Festival 2018

Stradivari Festival

Sergej Krylov is an Ambassador of the Stradivari Festival set in Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi, Museo del Violino in Cremona. In the opening concert of the 2017 Festival accompanied by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra he presented “The Treasury of Treasures” programme in which he performed on eight magnificent violins by Amati, Stradivari and Guarneri.
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Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri: Krylov opens with jewels | Corriere della Sera

“The Treasury of Treasures”: performing on eight magnificent violins by Amati, Stradivari and Guarneri.

Sergej Krylov (violin and conductor) Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Concerto in E for violino and orchestra BWV 1042
Allegro – Adagio – Allegro
violin Nicolò Amati “Hammerle” 1658

Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741)
Concerto for violin and orchestra RV 253 “La tempesta di mare”
Presto – Largo – Presto
violin Antonio Stradivari “Clisbee” 1669

Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto in G minor for violin and orchestra BINV 1056R
Senza indicazione di movimento – Largo – Presto
violino Giuseppe Guamer filius Andrea “Quarestani* 1689

Nicolò Paganini (1782 – 1840)
Cantabile op. 17 for violin and orchestra
violin Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu“Principe Doria” 1734
*La Campanella” dal Concerto n. 2 in si minore per violin e orchestra
(trascrizione per orchestra da camera)
violin Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu “Stauffer” 1734
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921)
Introduction and Rondò capriccioso for violin and orchestra
violino Antonio Stradivari “Cremonese” 1715
Pablo de Sarasate (1844 – 1908)
Carmen Fantasy for violin and orchestra
violino Antonio Stradivari “Vesuvio” 1727c

bis
violino Antonio Stradivari “Lam – ex Scotland University” 1734

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Edinburgh | The Scotsman ★ ★ ★ ★

Krylov, Zneider, RSNO, Usher Hall

May 2, 2017

“Sergej Krylov brought the house down.”

It was quite a coup for the RSNO to get starry international violin soloist Nikolaj Znaider to join them for a season concert ‘“ even if it was on the podium as conductor, rather than on his customary fiddle. In fairness, he’s been developing that second strand to his performing career for about a decade now, and he seemed in his element ‘“ perhaps not surprisingly ‘“ directing the evening’s centrepiece, Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto.

Znaider found just the right balance of sarcastic wit and grotesquerie for Prokofiev’s rather arch score, his orchestral textures sharply delineated with impeccable craftsmanship. The star of the Concerto, however, was Moscow-born soloist Sergej Krylov, who delivered it with such a sense of gruff, fiery truculence that he simply swept aside any doubts. He projected his line forcefully, and enunciated his phrases with chiselled clarity, even if it felt a bit like he was playing the whole thing through gritted teeth, even a rictus grin. Still, the breathtaking technique he showed in his encore of Paganini’s 24th Caprice – what else? – brought the house down with its staggering pyrotechnics.

Znaider brought the same impeccable craftsmanship to his Tchaikovsky Pathétique Symphony after the interval, and it was nothing if not a thoughtful, elegant account – even if it often fell frustratingly short on the raw emotional turmoil that the Symphony surely needs. Where was the trauma, and the tragedy? Znaider’s nonchalant reading at times sounded bizarrely like Haydn, and the RSNO players didn’t seem all that convinced either. His brief Scriabin Rêverie made a captivating if strangely low-key opener.

 

 

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Krylov, Zneider, RSNO, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Rosie Davies, April 30, 2017

“A performance which didn’t stop for air”

THE AUDITORIUM was packed for one of the RSNO’s last concerts of its 16-17 season, a grand sweep of Russian works culminating in Tchaikovsky’s final symphony. Its almost crushing emotional intensity is matched by the tantalising backstory – premiered just a week before the composer’s mysterious death, it became enshrouded by all sorts of opportunistic hypotheses; was it a veiled suicide note? An intentional farewell symphony?

Whatever the truth, one of its biggest performance challenges is in not slipping from high Romance into cloying melodrama. The other, which applies to both the Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev’s second violin concerto which preceded it this evening, is delivering something that glues together, both shifting as they do between moods and textures, and sometimes in disparate chunks.

It was done very well in the Prokofiev, with Moscow-born violinist Sergej Krylov’s fiercely consistent solo line acting as a guiding thread between the three movements. Jumping straight in before the audience had even stopped clapping, Krylov set the pace for a performance which didn’t stop for air, playing with a subtle, just-off-centre rubato which highlighted the work’s frantic, unsettling undercurrent rather than its nods towards a Soviet-pleasing ‘new simplicity’.

Tchaikovsky’s symphony worked similarly well as a blasting and powerful whole, presented in broad brushstrokes, impressive for its hefty brass-sodden climaxes rather than its more delicate idiosyncrasies. There were moments where the approach felt a little too heavy, subtle nuances swallowed up by the overall feeling – but, with a work like this, you can’t help be swept away by that power. As for melodrama – as a high-profile violinist himself, guest conductor Nikolaj Znaider knows how to work strings, using them in muscular fleets which blasted away any accusations of over-sugaring.

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