The Sound Storyteller

Daniil Trifonov at a historic fortepiano – a rare sight. Together with the Berliner Barock Solisten, he explores Beethoven’s early Bonn works. Christoph Vratz introduces the world-renowned pianist.

It’s hard to believe. Of all people, he – who can coax a sheer infinite wealth of colours and nuances from the piano; of all people, he – who can strike the black and white keys so incredibly softly, yet also so uninhibitedly wildly and ecstatically; of all people, Daniil Trifonov made his first attempts on an electric keyboard. Even though a classical piano was available to him. »But that didn’t interest me«, says Trifonov. »I just thought it was brilliant that you could produce completely different sounds from the same keys – just by pressing buttons. I did that for hours on end.« He was five years old at the time. That curiosity to elicit the maximum range of sounds from various keyboard instruments has stayed with him. For in Bonn, Trifonov is taking the plunge with a historic fortepiano.

Born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia – some 500 kilometres east of Moscow – to a music teacher and a composer, Trifonov initially toyed with the idea of a career as an ice hockey player. Soon, however, he found himself dreaming more of Alexander Scriabin’s Piano Concerto. The magic of music drew him first to study in Moscow, and later to Cleveland. He has since made America his home and now lives with his family near New York.

For Daniil Trifonov, making music is sometimes an intimate chamber piece, sometimes grand theatre, sometimes an inner monologue. His interpretations always seem populated by fictional characters and imbued with imaginary plots. A storyteller in sound, entirely without words. Yet to be able to deliver his finest performances, he needs an audience. »The people in the hall create a completely different atmosphere to practising in a room. A hall with good acoustics and an attentive audience is irreplaceable.« In the newly renovated Beethovenhalle, he is sure to find both.

Daniil Trifonov is more than just a keyboard virtuoso who regularly ploughs through technically demanding repertoire. His interests seem boundless. However, after years of ever-growing hype, he has learnt to take better care of his schedule and his own physical well-being. He carefully considers which projects to undertake: sometimes he performs as a chamber musician, sometimes as a soloist, and frequently as a song accompanist.

His curiosity is taking him to new horizons at this year’s Beethovenfest: in his concert with the Berliner Barock Solisten, he is turning away from the modern grand piano and towards the historical fortepiano – a move that certainly carries artistic risks. The touch is different, as is the use of the pedal and the phrasing. Not many famous pianists dare to make this switch, at least not in public and before a large audience. But Trifonov is different.

The programme features relatively unknown early works by Beethoven, which even for a pianist like Daniil Trifonov still hold discoveries. The E-flat major concerto has no opus number of its own in Beethoven’s catalogue, nor does the Rondo for Piano and Orchestra – both pieces date from his youth in Bonn.

Daniil Trifonov, who enjoys composing in his spare time, embodies a unique form of artistic genius. The distinctive quality of his playing is often difficult to describe. He has a knack for allowing notes to fade and blend into one another, without it being possible to pinpoint exactly how he achieves this. Added to this is his incredibly varied touch: Trifonov can glide lightly and shimmeringly over the keys and then suddenly build up mighty columns of chords. One thing is certain: his playing possesses something of a magic all of its own. In that respect, it will be fascinating to see how he, alongside an ensemble specialising in early music, translates his pianistic qualities onto a historical fortepiano.