Bogumił Pacak-Gamalski

This was one opportunity I didn’t want to miss. Last night piano concert of Nikolay Khozyainov in Kelowna, British Columbia. Have heard of this young pianist few times and his fame proceeded him.  Was wary, though. Big fame and being a child prodigy (he started playing in  … Siberia – in all of forbidden places – at an early age of six and as a child already performed in Russian cities, including Moscow, a city with earned reputation of being very strict in offering the stage to no one but the best as far as music is concerned) can be misleading and sometimes such career is cut short and musician falls into obscurity.

But Nikolay is no longer a child, and no longer a prodigy of anyone but his own talent and hard work. Bought the tickets well in advance while I was still in Halifax so as not to risk missing the concert.

A fact that he was a finalist in 2015 famous Warsaw’s International Chopin Piano Competition certainly cemented his statue as a pianist, and opened the doors of many international stages to him.

The auditorium in Kelowna’s Waterfront Art Centre is an elegant venue but not a very large one. But the seats are well arranged, and it looked like you could see the stage from every row and corner. In a small venue like that I usually choose either an isle seat or a seat at the very back (best for making quick notes without disturbing anyone).

Day was cold and being next to the huge lake added to that unpleasant coldness of late November. But inside the atmosphere was pleasant. My surprise was that there was not a printed program. In a concert where many pieces of many composers will be played it is helpful to have one. That was a serious minus on the side of the venue administrators. That was not the end of surprises, though. LOL.

When the virtuoso appeared on the stage I was – to say it elegantly – amused. Long gone are the days when longtails were the only accepted attire. Slowly they were replaced by afternoon elegant jacket, even black sweaters (Oh, Mon Dieu!). But pants remained elegant, sharply pressed. And shoes. Ah, the shoes –  they are actually important, as they play, too  – alongside hand and fingers. Something has to touch the pedals, LOL. Therefore shoes were elegant leather, shiny.

When Maestro Khozyainov entered the stage – he wore non of it. Pardon, except the light but elegant jacked. No, no. He wasn’t half naked! Just the rest of the attire really does not belong on a stage in a concert hall. Even in Kelowna. I was wondering how his cozy and warm winter shoes will feel the pedals …

I know, a bit long introduction – but I was truly amused by all of it.

Alas, back to music. Khozyainov begun with Chopin’s Nocturn D Flat Major, Op. 27. I thought it was a bit rough at times. The beautiful melodies few times were missing a note, or a note fell off the order. Which was sad since that Nocturne is one of the most beautiful nocturnes of Chopin. And yes, the pedals were not used as smoothly and as consistently as they should have.

Next was fantastic Prelude Op.45. Chopin himself said it was best prelude. I think the pianist did very good job in showing the elegant nature of this composition. Following with Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 55  he brought peace to musical order. It is such a beautiful, poetic music. Khozainov fully regained his mastery of the instrument. I enjoyed it very much. It takes you for such a nice walk, memories of romance, of youth, of longing. Could be almost sentimental but still retains the deep feelings, the poetry of the soul. It remained me at times of the way incomparable Kristian Zimerman plays it. Use your inner feeling but stay close to the score seem to be the magic and don’t rush, allow the music to sink in.

After the Ballade, there was a short intermission and suddenly I felt like being back in Carnegie Hall or on Jasna Street in Warsaw’s Philharmonic. Back to great concerthalls of the world. Khozainov appeared in beautiful attire (with very shiny and elegant shoes, LOL) and things seemed all in place. Just waiting for the music to do the rest. It did.

Liszt and his delicate Impromptu Valse set the stage for musical fluidity, elegance. Following different feelings and pictures was Liszt Spanish Raphsody S.254. The Hungarian musical genius composed it in 1858, shortly after his visit to Spain. It has cascade of full octaves, rapid cords. A time to shine and awe,  as Khozainov did. I wouldn’t have been surprised if suddenly a solo ballet dancer would appear and did some pirouettes to the music. It didn’t, but it felt like it could. That was certainly a grand finale to the first part.

During the short break I had a nice chat with a fellow, who sat right in front of me, and we exchanged few impressions. It was pleasant conversation to fill the free time (and not missing any equally pleasant innuendos, LOL). Music and romance? That never happens! Or was it just me, who forgot that it does indeed?

However – the time for truly great romance awaited us back in the hall. Ludwig van Beethoven – the towering giant of classical music.

Nikolay played masterly transcribed by Liszt Allegretto from Beethoven’s Seventh.

For a triumphant finale he played probably the most difficult and unusual piano music of the great composer – his Sonata No.23 Op. 57 known as Appassionata. I could easily see it more as a full Piano Concert with orchestra. It is long piece (it is a sonata after all, therefore not too long) but the difficulty lays in its structure, abrupt changes of tempo, emotion, almost loosing melodic motifs. In a way, the Appassionata should habe been composed fifty or seventy years later. It is very much not a mirror of tastes and styles in Herr Ludwig times. But Herr Ludwig was not a man of a’la mode – Beethoven was a man of musical genius. Timeless. I suppose, it must be very difficult and not easy to memorize it to play without the aid of printed score. Because the Appassionata has distinctive long intervals it is very wise for the pianist to remain in full control as some people would not start to clap, thinking it was the finale. Khozainov had it all in check.

I am not surprised that (although not part of this concert repertoire) that he has played and recorded the arch-difficult Gaspar de la nuit by Ravel.

Of course, every musician is prepared for a a short bis after a concert. Nikolay was too. However – none were prepared for almost an entire third part of the concert! It was a sheer bravado which ended in an amusing and happy cavalcade on the keyboard.

Scriabin, Chopin, Rachmaninov, you name it! All the virtuosic pieces that shine and wants the audience to stand up and dance to it. We almost did. Applause did not stop. Just when we thought it is over, done, when we thought that it is almost impolite to demand more … Nikolay played his own impromptu fantasy. And everyone went crazy. What a bravado, gusto with a touch of showmanship. A pure joy of the music. I loved it.

In a chat afterwards we used simultaneously three languages, as both of us knew them: Russian, Polish and English. And he signed my notebook with name I have not seen in a very long time – with ‘otchestvo’ – a Russian peculiarity of using one’s name and the name of one’s father. Because I have the same name , as my father – it is of course: Bogumil Bogumilowitz, LOL. I like it.