Review – Asmik Grigorian in Salzburg: The Magician | News and criticism | BR Classic

“I grew up in an Oprah family; I always had the right voice in my head.” Ismik Grigoryan says so. The Lithuanian soprano has been in international show business for over ten years; She catapulted herself to Olympus in 2018 at the latest with her sensational success as Salome at the Salzburg Festival, where she has been a regular guest ever since, and this year she is on stage at the Great Festival Hall as the Lady in Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth. On the 16th of August, she is also seen with Aria in the House by Mozart. On the program: Rachmaninoff only.

When Asmik Grigorian sends the first six notes into the hall after the break in “Twilight”, gently as if on a soft pillow, the audience suddenly goes quiet. At the beginning of the evening, one would have thought that some bronchitis patients had forgotten to pass on their tickets to their healthy acquaintances in time. But miraculously, the magic of that voice takes hold and casts a spell on the audience.

Asmik Grigorian, theatrical animal

Asmik Grigorian is a stage animal, a unique performer who has an unerring instinct for the right gesture, the right look and the right reactions. A heroine who never loses her role for a moment. Although she herself will say that it is not a role at all, that’s all she is. Here, in the intimate setting of the song’s concert, one realizes these qualities in his voice. She conveys the world of Rachmaninoff’s songs with ever-new nuances, telling of lost homeland and past loves, of wounded souls and of the old age that may soon come. The color and dynamics change abruptly within the phrase. This voice lights up and pops on the piano and opens with shimmering splendor in controlled fortitude – like a beautiful flower in swift motion. These are not small songs, these are sad dramas or expressive little plays. They catch us, they catch us. Her grief leaves us touched, intrigued, or stunned, but in a mysterious way she never drags us down—because she is naturally part of this dark, glittering world. And Asmik Grigorian’s brilliant Spinto Soprano shines like velvety ruby ​​red…

what is music

What is music Rachmaninoff was once asked about. His answer: Quiet, moonlit night. The rustling of leaves, the distant bells of evening, what moves from heart to heart. love. All this can be felt, felt and heard this evening.

At the Steinway piano sits a second Rachmaninoff, 33-year-old Lukas Geniusas, who also has arcane magical powers. It shines with elegance, softness, and incredible precision. And in his solos he mingles with the hustle and bustle of Mussorgsky’s Sorochintsy Fair, Rimsky-Korsakov’s bees are allowed to fly and Rachmaninoff’s torrents shimmer with infinite colors – not a single note disappears into the pedal haze. Geniusas isn’t a sidekick – he’s an equal storyteller, brilliant, and mood-bearer.

Rachmaninoff completely

Rachmaninoff wrote 90 songs between 1893 and 1916. Asmik Grigorian has already filled an entire CD with her phenomenal pianist. The two still want to score the rest. And we want to hear them all in concert.

Broadcasting: “Allegro” on August 17, 2023 From 06:05 a.m. in BR-KLASSIK