Sunday
Afternoon Live from the Chazen
"SAL celebrates 30 years on WPR"
Spring unraveled like a beautiful secret at the hands of pianist Raffi Besalyan
as he performed a work called Spring by fellow Armenian composer Komitas.
Besalyan threw in some Mozart, a Chopin Scherzo, a few Gershwin tunes (including
the ragtime-infused and torrential “Fascinatin’ Rhythm” transcription by
Earl Wild), Rachmaninoff and ended on a fiery note with Liszt’s Mephisto
Waltz.
Classical music fans who don’t tune into the weekly live chamber music series on
Wisconsin Public Radio are missing some incredible live performances in this
series broadcast before an audience by WPR from the Chazen Museum of Art on the
UW Madison campus.
SCENE Newspaper (WI), by Jim Lundstrom
Genuine Descendant of Russian Pianism
Raffi Besalyan
Piano Recital
"Armenian-born pianist Besalyan possesses truly lucid and beautiful sound that
reminds you of perfectly matched pearls. It was in the Rachmaninoff group in the
first half, where the pianist displayed this quality with tremendous conviction.
From the penetrating chords and piercing harmonies in the G minor Prelude Op.23
No.5, the beautiful melody leafed out and floated in the air, pouring out deeply
personal inconsolable feelings. The depth of the melody in the bass of the G
sharp minor Prelude Op.32 No.12 was admirably contrasted with the brilliance of
the arpeggios in the higher register.
The rampant image of Mephisto roaming at will appeared from Besalyan’s tenacious
and unyielding chords and octaves, and his capricious, and at times, leisurely
changes of the mood in Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz. One could even hear the high-pitched
satanic laughter.
The audience was dazzled and fully captivated by Besalyan’s bell-like tone in
the music by Armenian composers Komitas and Baghdassarian, which were performed
with magnificent imagination and splendid colorful changes of tonality.
Earl Wild arrangements of Gershwin Songs were snappy and tasteful.
In Besalyan’s rendition of Prokofiev’s Seventh Sonata the “violence” and the
“cool‐headedness” were brought out with much power and set apart vividly from
Prokofiev’s hollow and distorted melodies.
I must say, that Besalyan is a true heir of the mainstream of the Russian
Pianism, like Horowitz."
(Izumi Hall, April 13, 2008)
Senshi Yokohara
Chopin Magazine
July 2008
Japan
“Rachmaninoff was performed with a nice juicy singing
tone, lovely, nice inner voicings” “Technically brilliant… Besalyan played with a great
deal of temperament, speed and power.” “…audacious spirit and poetic substance, deeply felt tenderness.” “The Liszt Mephisto Waltz…was hair-raising. One could
not help but admire the opening and the famous treacherous octave leaps later
on.” “Besalyan has many wonderful elements in his playing
that can not be taught.” “Mozart Sonata in C Major, K330 began with a lively
tempo and lucent tone. Immediately one sensed his enjoyment in playing and love
of the music.”
New York Concert Review Magazine “Besalyan is transformed by the substance of the
music into a persona of great authority and power.” “Rachmaninoff’s works truly exposed Raffi Besalyan’s
poetic world. With concentration to detail, he aspired to and revealed the
inner intricacies of the music.” “Besalyan’s magnetic presence, so necessary for the
audience, was evident throughout the entire Liszt Sonata in b minor, where he
displayed his highest skill in mastery of unity of the developing musical
drama.”
AZG, Yerevan, Armenia Pianist wows audience in performance of
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto “Standing ovation and cries of “Bravo” and “Encore”
went to pianist Raffi Besalyan... mesmerized the audience with his gracious,
delicate yet powerful presentation of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No.3.”
Armenian Reporter Int’l, New York
“Bravo for the (Chopin) Fourth Ballade!!” “…I am sure Raffi will do many wonderful things with
this great concerto (Rachmaninoff’s Third).” “Raffi is a gifted pianist with his own face.”
Byron Janis, concert pianist
“The flow of Baghdassarian's Prelude instantly changed the color and the air of Izumi Hall. The entire hall was devoured by Besalyan’s glorious touch and crystalline sound.
Besalyan brought early Spring to his audience with the tender melody of “Spring”, a piece by another Armenian composer Komitas. “..the flower buds in yet cold and young spring unfold and bloom one by one.. beautiful flowers are everywhere.. the gentle breeze goes through..” Not only did I, but so did the audience truly feel such illusion.
Besalyan’s performance of the Rachmaninoff Sonata No.2 was technically authoritative and full of passion and expression. As soon as he started the piece, variety of sounds and colors began stirring in the hall. Besalyan’s sound was ringing, flowing and singing. There were beautiful moments of suspension and sweep, one could even hear sounds that were almost imaginary, non existent. Besalyan was not just playing the piano, he was creating wonderful art, and treated the piano with his love for the music.
”
