Vyacheslav Gryaznov, piano concerts comments and review
October, 2024 in Zagreb, Croatia and November 16, 2024 in Cupertino, California, US.
Written by: Krešimir Starčević, pianist and writer
Overview: Gryaznov
Many pianophiles know Vyacheslav Gryaznov not only as a fantastic pianist, but also as a brilliant transcriber of a wide variety of classical music, which he always transmits into with such taste, imagination, and spirit, whether it is a solo piano or a piano duo. This graduate of the Moscow Conservatory and the Yale School of Music, who lives and works in New York, has also proven to be a very interesting composer.
I have been following Gryaznov for decades and am well acquainted with his interpretative style. I first listened to him as a student in Croatia in 2003, when he performed two different recitals with an extremely demanding program in a few days in a small town of Grožnjan. I had to wait until 2019 to hear him live again, when he held an unforgettable concert in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, with mostly his own piano transcriptions.
Concert in Zagreb, October, 2024
In October of this year, I was lucky enough to experience Gryaznov again in the same city. This time, his piano arrangements were on the program in the first part, but in the second part of the concert, something unusual happened – he performed his own 50-minute composition “Rhapsody in Black” for piano and orchestra, composed on the motifs of Gershwin’s legendary opera “Porgy and Bess”, and conceived as a kind of continuation of the story of that opera. What was unusual was that Gryaznov did not perform this work with an orchestra in physical form, but with the G-PHIL orchestra. This is his own innovation – an application, created a few years ago, with which Gryaznov wanted to enable himself and all interested pianists (which is truly generous, since the app is free) to practice piano concertos accompanied by the real sound of the orchestra in the most authentic way possible. He recorded a part of each instrument in the orchestra for about 20 piano concerts so far (and this list is constantly increasing), connected them into one ensemble and made it possible for everyone to adapt each part of the composition to their own way of performance in terms of tempo and time flow.
If I hadn’t seen the incredible G-PHIL orchestra live and been truly blown away, I might not have accepted the invitation of the Steinway Society – The Bay Area to write my review of the concert that Gryaznov was giving in California. However, I agreed to accept their invitation to a recording option Steinway Society makes to people who cannot hear one of the artists in person.
Concert with Steinway Society in Cupertino, California November, 2024
After reviewing the video recording of the concert several times, I was once again convinced
of Gryaznov’s mastery as a pianist, but also a visionary. If you were skeptical about what it’s
like to listen to a piano concerto with a digital orchestra, don’t be. Because G-PHIL is
definitely not just an ordinary “accompaniment” but a fantastically constructed orchestra.
When you listen to it, either live or through a recording like this, and close your eyes, you
won’t easily recognize the difference between this and a real orchestra. The sound is
impressively good and in general you have the impression that you are listening to a
professional recording on CD. Everything works so well that it is a real pleasure to listen to
and experience the music in this way. It is especially impressive how ALL the tempo changes
and the smallest rubatos are coordinated. (Just imagine how many of them there are in
Rhapsody!). It’s like playing with a conductor and an orchestra with whom you completely
understand each other.
If you ask me if I think G-PHIL will replace a real orchestra on stage in the future, I will
answer: Of course not. But do I have anything against hearing piano concertos with the G-
PHIL orchestra from time to time? Of course not. On the contrary! I believe that for many
pupils and especially students, G-PHIL will become a common tool in preparing for
performances with a real orchestra, especially at preparation concerts.
Let’s get back to the concert. As I said, Gryaznov is such a complete and impressive pianist
that he definitely deserves even greater popularity. As a pianist! Despite my writing practice
of going into interpretive and all other details in concert reviews, I will not do so this time.
Not because there weren’t any – in fact, there were a handful of them. Rather, because it is
perhaps difficult to single out the highlights of such a good concert.I will therefore say a few general impressions that I can connect with all three works that
Gryaznov performed.
His playing style and his complete personality do not in any way want
to create a show, draw attention to himself and the numerous qualities he has. On stage, he
seems cool and calm. He simply plays what the composer wrote, giving of course a personal
touch and his own experience. And that is exactly how Gryaznov attracts attention. With his
deep dedication, thoughtfulness of the performance and emotional experience. His sound is
crystal clear and has excellent projection in the hall (and it is certainly possible to hear this
through the recording). The clarity of pronunciation of every single note is Olympicly precise,
and the technique is athletically masterful. While playing, he is completely relaxed, using the
strength of his entire body to achieve the most diverse tonal nuances – from powerful swings
in the loudest dynamics, to a quiet whisper in the quietest. The melodic lines he leads do not
stop, but merge into each other. And perhaps most importantly – Gryaznov interprets
Rachmaninoff with a handful of romantic emotions and charges, but never with unnecessary
pathos or crossing the line of good taste.