RIO: Artistic Freedom and Human Adventure
On October 30 and 31 at the Rosey Concert Hall in Rolle, Switzerland, Classicagenda attended the inaugural concerts of the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra, the new phalanx founded by Mikhail Pletnev. Under the baton of Kent Nagano, Pletnev on keyboard performed the complete concertos of Rachmaninoff, which was also a tribute to Sergei Rachmaninoff to celebrate his 150th birthday.
Artistic freedom
The news about Mikhail Pletnev's new project had already caused a lot of ink to flow. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Mikhail Pletnev has decided to officially reside in Switzerland and can no longer conduct the Russian National Orchestra (RNO), the orchestra he founded in 1990. The Russian conductor created a new orchestra and named it “Rachmaninoff International Orchestra”.
Artistic freedom is a value that Pletnev has always defended. He is launching a new project with his friend Sergey Markov, General Manager of RIO. In 1990 Pletnev and Markov founded the Russian National Orchestra (RNO), Russia's first independent orchestra. 30 years later, the two men decided to embark on a new adventure by bringing together Russian, Ukrainian, Israeli and European musicians. But many difficulties arose during the realization of this project: some Russian musicians abandoned the idea of leaving Russia for fear of retaliation from the government and others did not obtain the entry visa... We note that both the RNO and the RIO were born in an extremely tense context, the element which undoubtedly stimulates the spirit of freedom of the two men more than usual.
Two days of Rachmaninoff marathon
The live recording by Mezzo and Medici TV took place during the two days of dress rehearsal and concerts. The orchestra projects a beautiful unity of sound, the musicians seem well rehearsed after 4 days of hard work and training under the simultaneous direction of Kent Nagano on the baton and Mikhail Pletnev on the keyboard. Indeed Pletnev, although on the keyboard as a soloist, scrupulously keeps control of everything that happens on stage. Kent Nagano respects the artistic direction of Pletnev serving as his colleague's right-hand man. This scene of the two maestros reminds me of Sergei Rachmaninoff himself on the keyboard with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra to record the complete concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody...
The atmosphere in the hall is particularly exciting with the presence not only of the knowledgeable music-loving public but also of many important players in classical music (patrons, festival directors, concert hall directors, record companies, press, etc.). They all waited impatiently for this great historic moment!
Pletnev's Shigeru Kawai Grand is in shape to face the two days of marathon. The pianist encourages his Shigeru Kawai by tapping it regularly, which is very touching in the eyes of the audience. Well tamed, the black beast with shiny hair easily projects the best sound desired by its master. The acoustics of the room are remarkable; clarity of sound, beautiful balance between the orchestra and the piano.
On the keyboard, Pletnev is never out of breath unnecessarily. Even in ultra virtuoso passages of “Rach 3”, he seems serene. He does not allow himself to be carried away by pathos but on the contrary he trains and masters it. In his game, everything is meticulously controlled. He takes us well beyond the score with his unique way of bringing out the details according to his own inspiration of the moment. As in his other concerts, Pletnev's audience discovers what they have never heard before.
Pletnev, Rachmaninoff of the 21st century
Over the course of a century, Pletnev's life resembles, in many respects, that of his elder Rachmaninoff: Russia today is in a situation as dramatic and conflicting as in 1917. Both artists have each made an important career in the West. Like Rachmaninoff who had his residence in Switzerland (at the Villa Senar near Lake Lucerne, Rachmaninoff brought together his Russian musician friends), Pletnev living in Switzerland created his little musical Russia with his RIO project. Also, their artistic projects were carried out thanks to the support of the Americans. Like Sergei Rachmaninoff, Mikhail Pletnev is also a complete classical artist with his triple hat: pianist, composer and conductor.
The Rachmaninoff International Orchestra is the realization of artistic freedom and the human adventure for peace. The inaugural concerts are broadcast on Medici TV and Mezzo. The CD and video release of these two concerts is planned for 2024 on EuroArts.
