As part of the Coburn Celebrity Recital series, the awe-inspiring Israeli classical pianist graced the stage alone, captivating his audience with a recital that emanated a divine dedication.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 04-26-2024
Amidst the tumultuous state of the world, it was a much-needed respite to witness Israeli pianist Yefim Bronfman take the stage at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and deliver a vibrant program. In a world where politics is a volatile powder keg, art and culture serve as a sanctuary of solace and harmony. The first half of the program, featuring Austrian composer Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata in A minor, Op. 143 and German composer Robert Schumann’s Faschingsschwank aus Wien, was a testament to this, with the music taking center stage, offering a much-needed escape from the chaos outside.
From the beginning of his performance, there is no fanfare. He takes the vast stage alone, bows respectfully to the audience, then begins the program. As he captures the beauty of the 19th-century Germanic composers, he slides effortlessly between tempos and intensities. For a large man, Bronfman is surprisingly delicate in his playing. Gentle with the piano, even in his most passionate and intense moments, he celebrates the instrument’s precision.
Moreover, his performance is undeniably private. If Bronfman were alone in his studio, the music would sound and feel the same. Indeed, it seems like he is playing for himself and, maybe, also for God. Even when the intensity builds, he remains intensely private. He captures the piano’s expressive range by never doing too much or too little. His creative comfort zone is everywhere, and he celebrates whatever moment rises or falls in the compositions.
What is fascinating is how truly romantic his playing is, realizing the lovely depths of these classical compositions. He brings the romantic age back to life in this modern age of cynicism and smartphones, allowing his audience to return to a time of Arcadian beauty and fantastical dreams. It is funny because you would not pick Yefim Bronfman out of a police lineup as the conductor on this train back in time to a more innocent age. Still, in the stillness of his mastery, he is the perfect vehicle to take us on this intoxicating journey.
In the second half of the program, Bronfman challenges himself at the start with Esa Pekka Salonen’s Sisar. Paying tribute to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s conductor laureate, he battles with a piece that interlaces dream-like music with sudden explosions of kinetic power. Commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association with generous support from the Rauch Family Foundation, the piece’s first performance was at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2013. The pianist first taking on the piece was Yefim Bronfman.
Indeed, here is a man who enjoys returning to the field of battle. Closing out the show with Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7, Bronfman returned to tussle with the passion and intensity of a modern Russian composer. Indeed, Prokofiev is not only telling a story but also giving a battle cry against the madness of the 20th century. It felt like a perfect way to close a lovely evening.
However, before playing Prokofiev, Bronfman quietly took on Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2 to remind the audience of his deepest loves. As Allison Tam so eloquently wrote, “As I’ve continued to listen to ‘Nocturne,’ I’ve come to realize that this piece tells the story of happy endings. Chopin uses a form in which the main melody repeats several times throughout the piece. The first presentation of the melody is beautiful, simple, and has an almost childlike innocence.”
Ultimately, Bronfman celebrates the innocence and purity of classical music and musical instruments. There is a divinity in the room when a piano is played with precision and passion. For the audience, the experience of such creation is nothing less than a sweet revelation in these challenging days and difficult times.
Photo Courtesy of the LA Philharmonic
