Ravinia_2018_Issue_4_Week

RAVINIA MAGAZINE | JULY 23 – AUGUST 5, 2018

featured works of Tchaikovsky,

as well as fellow Russians Scri-

abin, Stravinsky, and Proko-

ev. e pianist credits his

principal teacher in Macedo-

nia, the Russian émigré Boris

Romanov, for instilling a deep

appreciation for the idiom.

“He helped me to develop a

taste for Russian music, how

to understand it, shape it, and

direct the musical ow in the

most natural way.”

e pianist has

further honed his

instincts through

multiple collabora-

tions with Russian

conductor Vasily

Petrenko and the

Royal Philharmon-

ic Orchestra, with

whom he recorded

the Russian concer-

tos, including most of

the works of Rach-

manino , Proko ev,

and Tchaikovsky.

Trpčeski speaks in

glowing terms of their

partnership. “I met

Vasily in

during

his rst season at the

RPO, and we played

Rachmanino ’s

First Concerto and

the Rhapsody at the

same concert. From

our rst contact, we

really clicked, since

we have a similar

understanding of the

music. I always feel an extra

sense of responsibility when

I play Russian music with

Russian musicians. Of course,

they di er from each other,

but I was really glad to see

that our understanding was

basically the same, since we try

to follow the nature and logic

of the musical thought.”

Ravinia audiences will get

to experience their camarade-

rie August when they appear

together for the rst time in

the Chicago area. ey may

be taking a turn to the west

from the Russian works they

are so renowned for, but it’s

no less powerful a warhorse

that they will be o ering up,

Grieg’s Concerto in A mi-

nor. In comparison to other

works he has performed with

Petrenko, Trpčeski sees a sim-

ilar latitude in the music. “It

certainly has some connection

to Tchaikovsky deep beneath

the surface. Grieg’s concerto is

a perfect combination of the

broad expression of Roman-

ticism with the sheer beauty

of Norway, combining the

grandeur of the piano with the

colorful and tasteful use of the

orchestra. As in every piece of

music, and particularly one so

popular, one should go deep

into the composer’s details in

the score, to make it interest-

ing, fresh, and alive. Knowing

Petrenko, I’m sure that this

will be the case in the orches-

tral part of the performance.”

While his concerto is the

best known of Grieg’s piano

works, there are many solo

works that reveal a more

intimate side of the composer.

Trpčeski performed one of

these recently, the Holberg

Suite, a work more frequently

heard in a version for string

orchestra. “I have not played

much of his solo piano music,

but it certainly needs a di er-

ent approach than the con-

certo, simply because they are

di erent forms. But the ‘sound’

of nature in Norway is there

in both.”

One might expect that at

this point in his ourishing

career the pianist would have

settled in one of the dominant

cultural capitals of Europe. But

his devotion for his homeland

is such that he still resides

in his hometown of Skopje,

raising a family in the ancient,

picturesque Balkan capital. His

roots are also evident in his

passion for Macedonian folk

music, realized most de ni-

tively by an initiative dubbed

“Makedonissimo,” a program

that features a collection of

works for a large chamber

ensemble.

“ is has been one

of my dreams. As I

grew up with the folk

music tradition of

Macedonia, I always

believed that it could

communicate with

di erent types of au-

diences. A er all, the

greatest composers

have had considerable

knowledge of their

nation’s folk music

and used it in their

compositions. e

composer Pande Sha-

hov made the tran-

scriptions. e depth

of the songs and the

intricate rhythmic

gures of the dances

provoke di erent

kinds of emotions

from the listeners. I

hope to present it to

American audiences

soon.”

Shahov has also

tapped into his Bal-

kan roots with a new

concerto for Trpčeski that will

be premiered in Santa Cruz

at the Cabrillo Music Festival

the night before the Highland

Park date. “I hope to not have

any problems with the ight

so that I can get to Ravinia on

time!”

Michael Cameron is a double bassist

and professor of music at the University

of Illinois. His writings have appeared in

the

Chicago Tribune

Chicago Classical

Review

, and

Fanfare

Magazine.