Image via Unsplash: @vidarnm
We recently had the opportunity to attend the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s (TSO) performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Brahms Symphony no. 2. Our first time being at Roy Thomson Hall this fall, Grieg’s Piano Concerto was both an energizing and pensive performance.
We will make a note about the second half, the Brahms symphony. The TSO played wonderfully, with the grace and character needed for Brahms. However, the focus of the concert for us was the evening’s concerto.
The pianist Lisiecki graced the keys and showed his skills with wonderful refinement. The concerto for the most part we found was a lot of back and forth, with the piano and orchestra taking turns leading throughout. This structure allowed for a brilliant display of Lisiecki’s insightful playing. The first movement was monumental, complimented by passages of more gentle contrast. Grieg’s work has a sense of gravitas and authority, a mountain imposing over the landscape.
The second movement was lush, warm, and pensive, like welcoming the beginning of winter as we continue through autumn. Similar, it had contrast from within the movement, comfort with a sting just before. The music a soothing balm for the soul that must sting before it helps. And before you knew it, the last movement returned to intense regal orchestration, with large scalar sections to show the pianist’s virtuosity.
Lisiecki clearly possessing an in-depth perspective of the music. In the tossing of the spotlight between orchestra and solo piano, Lisiecki had to keep holding our attention while competing with the orchestra to maintain intensity and interest. He did this in a way that made it look easy, yet the difficulty of the work was not lost on anyone present. We are not surprised that this Canadian talent has returned to the Roy Thomson Hall with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and we cannot wait for the next time that he does.