Alexei Volodin
Alexei Volodin
Piano
Alexei Volodin is managed for the Netherlands by Ydeleine Berntsen.
Contact:
E: ydeleine.berntsen@interartists.nl
Reviews
“He is a marvelous artist, who peels away layers of meaning and expression in everything he plays, hooked to a fabulously discreet virtuosity.”
“Volodin is the kind of pianist that could only be grown in Russia: a virtuoso who loves to show his muscle, but plays full of passion in the slow passages. And he’s a pianist who knows what the word cantabile means with Rachmaninov: echoing the solemn singing of Orthodox Church music.”
“His sensitive approach to the Allegretto revealed an extremely delicate and clear touch that veiled the difficulty of the score.”
“Wonderfully mercurial…Volodin’s fluent and apparently effortless pianism, matched by the alert accompaniment from Gergiev and his superb orchestra, make a most convincing case for this unjustly neglected work.”
“Approach[es] the fast movements with mercurial wit and dazzling clarity of fingerwork…allow[s] Prokofiev’s natural lyricism to come to the fore in the slow movement.”
“Alexei Volodin’s performance of the Fourth was superbly controlled and beautifully subtle.”
“But the highlight of the evening came in the first half, when the Russian pianist Alexei Volodin was the soloist in Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto. I was astonished by the way in which Volodin combined Russian full-bloodedness with subtlety and deep-listening control of texture in this most-demanding, intellectually and virtuosically, of concertos. It was among the finest specimens of concerto-playing I have heard from the NSO, as the players and soloist made their parts integrate with one another, turn corners impeccably, and shade the discourse between parts. Volodin’s physical efforts were palpable but even stronger was the sense that magisterial mental and physical control were serving musical imagination and insight.”
“To hear him slowly open the valves of Chopin’s poetry, aerate Schubert’s lyricism and launch Schumann’s fantasies makes you aware of his layered artistry… Everything in this programme was thoroughly considered, but such is the intelligence of his approach his audience rapport never sounded calculated…his transformation of Schubert’s intricate decorative passages that acquire a life of their own was masterly. Just as admirable was the control and tact with which he discerned the difference between the up-front and explicit Schubert and music much more shadowy and recessive… The Third of the set, the ‘Rosamunde’ variations in B flat, confirmed Volodin’s affinity for Schubert in playing of formidable perception, expressive tonal range and superb delicacy.”