KIRILL RICHTER – THE SANDS OF TIME at the London Coliseum

★★★½

“an engaging evening of music”

Kirill Richter, the charismatic pianist, composer and band leader, brings his trio back to London for a one-night immersive multimedia experience in the grand surroundings of the London Coliseum. He is supported by the members of his trio, violinist Alena Zinovieva and cellist August Krepak, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan.

The performance’s first section combines projected backdrops of a variety of images with the music and other sound effects. The projections range from abstract points that gesture towards galaxies, to mountain tops and waves breaking on shore, and the intricate interior workings of machines and gears, and accompany the minimalist-inflected piano trio music that is interspersed with extracts of poetry and the sounds of birds that act as connective tissue between movements.

While the performance is billed as multimedia, it is clearly the music that is the driving force, and indeed it is musically that the piece is best. Richter’s short, instrumental movements wax and wane, gaining volume and momentum before ebbing away again. His rhythmic playing echoes the ticking of a clock or the trickle of sand passing through an hourglass and the string players’ extensive use of pizzicato produces a compelling interplay with the piano. Against the trio’s more limited instrumentation, the background images add further depth, often juxtaposing the metrical time of the musicians with the flow of geological and astronomical eons.

The instrumentalists themselves are virtuosic, and Richter and Zinovieva each take their opportunities to shine. Richter is an engaging and sensitive pianist, the centripetal organising force of the work, and a moment in which Zinovieva stands up to emphasise the temporary predominance of the violin is a high point, allowing to foreground her exquisite playing. Nevertheless, the star is cellist Krepak. He is the most expressive of the three, possessed by music he convulses to the rhythm, his hair flying, while remaining consistently note-perfect. He also employees the most unconventional techniques. Striking the body of the cello like a percussion instrument he produces sounds that recall a ticking clock, dragging the bow up the strings he generates an eerie and unplaceable sound that complements the mesmeric, shifting backgrounds. He is consistently engaging to watch and listen to and adds a further element to the performance.

For the second half, the trio are joined by members of the Uzbekistan National Symphony Orchestra. A large string section, some brass, and orchestral and traditional percussion are led by conductor Alibek Kabdurakhmanov, who is an energetic presence, controlling the volume, timbre, and feel of the orchestra as they work with the Richter trio. The projections in the second half are less meditative than they are imposing, with flames, storms and explosions forming the visual context to a range of more expansive and dynamic pieces. Although this parallels the increased strength of the music aided by the numerous musicians, it feels less well integrated than the first half. The orchestra can stand alone without the need for the multimedia dimension, and the visuals add little to their playing.

The show culminates with a beautifully haunting vocal performance by Nodira Pirmatova, who joins the musicians for the final piece. This returns to the less strident, and to my mind, stronger mood of the earlier pieces and is a fitting end to an engaging evening of music.

KIRILL RICHTER – THE SANDS OF TIME at the London Coliseum

Reviewed on 11th September 2024

by Rob Tomlinson

Photography by Alexander Plotnikov

Previously reviewed at this venue:

SWAN LAKE | ★★½ | August 2024

THE MONGOL KHAN | ★★★★★ | November 2023

KIRILL RICHTER

KIRILL RICHTER

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