Pianist–philosopher makes the piano smile.
Ruhr Nachrichten, 23 Maggio 2001
“Pianisten-Philosoph ließ Flügel lächeln”
Concerto del pianista Filippo Gamba
At 32, Filippo Gamba is no longer a representative of the very young generation of musicians, but he may well be added to the list of great twenty-first-century interpreters if his career continues as it has started.
He offered visitors to the ‘Next Generation’ one of the most sublime moments of this first part of the Festival on Monday evening in the Harenberg-Halle.
Profound, balanced maturity was expressed in the interpretation by the winner of the Géza Anda 2000 competition.
This Veronese player could be called a ‘philosopher-pianist’: in his playing he reconciles the perfect blend of soul-stirring, tender spiritualization and vehemence – in Schumann’s small, delicate Arabeske at the beginning, and in the two big musical love stories, the Davidsbündlertänze by Schumann and the third Sonata by Brahms, in which Gamba highlights his sonorous affinity to Schumann.
The Italian’s interpretations were rich in spirit; he penetrated the works so deeply and with such concentration that he interpreted them from within.
With dense, fervent sound, Gamba united the opposing worlds of the passionate Florestan and the dreamy Eusebius, the twin spirits of lovers, in this psychodrama of suffering, joyful and tragic love. He sketched in images of an intimate, impulsive romanticism, seeking always to discover the hidden poetry between the notes while fully embracing the atmosphere of the scenes.
A delightful aspect of his execution was the small portion of sadness he managed to mix into all his interpretations.
He began the Brahms Sonata solemnly with an energy from inside, to then let the intermezzo breathe, expressed in part with Beethoven-like reiteration.
In the Andante, a funeral march in which the good luck of the two lovers is allowed to die, Gamba plays in such a way as to seem to caress the instrument.
If a piano could smile, it would have done so in this movement.
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