Source: 7MD.LT
Author: Daiva Tamošaitytė
December 6th brought one of those concerts arranged exclusively for the Paliesius Manor concert hall. The performing pianist, Yulianna Avdeeva, is renowned for winning first place at the prestigious International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in 2010—becoming the fourth woman to ascend this male-dominated Olympus after a forty-five-year hiatus. This year, she was invited to serve as a jury member, a role that connoisseurs consider even more demanding than winning a prize.
Avdeeva opened her Paliesius recital with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903. Her neat interpretation unfolded within the familiar stylistic framework of the Soviet school (Avdeeva is a student of Dmitri Bashkirov). A purely pianistic approach prevailed, without seeking out organ or harpsichord effects and soundscapes.
In the first half of the concert, the pianist also performed the works of Ferenc Liszt. The pieces flowed without interruption. First came the Bagatelle sans tonalité, S 216a. The rarely heard “Csárdás Macabre” is a lengthy composition; its empty fifth intervals and shifts rang out with an enigmatic air, while a folk-dance theme and upper-register “cymbals” brightened the mood. “Unstern! Sinistre, disastro” proved an even more mysterious, somber, and macabre piece; beginning with a repeatedly echoed tritone theme, its movement through low-register octaves concluded in quiet tranquility. To close the sequence, she played “St. François de Paule: Marchant sur les flots” from “Deux Légendes”, S 175. Avdeeva developed this livelier, more “traditional” Liszt piece—less strange and mystical, yet brimming with passages—with profound mastery, gradually building the climaxes and executing complex leaps and arpeggios with impeccable clarity.
The second half of the evening featured Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Op. 28. I perhaps enjoyed the lyrical preludes slightly less; in places, some piano sounds were almost too quiet, and the “Raindrop” prelude in D-flat major stood out somewhat in the overall flow due to tempo unevenness (a deliberate rubato concept). Nevertheless, the pianist possesses a magnificent command of cycles (Liszt, too, was played as a cycle), expertly gathering them into a cohesive whole. The fast opuses, however, suit her beautifully, her fingers agile and deeply engaged. It was mesmerizing to observe how Yulianna constructed her hand positions and arranged the entire musical syntax—without a single slip, maintaining exquisite, high-quality clarity.
Finally, the concluding Allegro appassionato prelude—with the undulating waves of the left hand, the right hand’s cascading scales, and the shifting double notes—spellbound the audience with its virtuosity and a resplendent concert finale. Of those glissando passages, I would say—pure ice! The brilliance of Chopin’s fast preludes conjured not the image of a graceful ballet, but rather of ice dancing—so firm, grounded, and glistening was every technical detail. Yulianna Avdeeva’s performance left the lasting impression of a highly professional, responsible, and strong-willed artist.