Beethoven Piano Sonata no.29 in B-flat major ‘Hammerklavier’
Interval
Lyatoshinsky Three Preludes, op.38
Liszt Études d’exécution transcendante d’après Pananini, S.140

Gold medallist at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Ukraine-born pianist Vadym Kholodenko is sought after by halls across Europe, North America and Asia. This summer he made his debut at BBC Proms with Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no.2.

Vadym starts straight in with Beethoven’s mighty Hammerklavier sonata, its opening statement of fortissimo chords a challenge to the audience to sit up and pay attention. The longest of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, Hammerklavier is also one of the most unconventional.

Violinist Niccolò Paganini enjoyed superstar status, crowds flocking to witness his dazzling performances. Liszt heard him and, captivated, set about piano transcriptions of the pieces. Published as 6 Paganini Etudes, the work failed to take off – it was simply too difficult to play – and Liszt was eventually persuaded to tone it down. This revised version, S.141, is the one normally performed in concert halls today. But not tonight. Vadym Kholodenko gives us the full pianistic pyrotechnics of the original.

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