Harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani www.mahanesfahani.com
was born in Tehran, Iran in 1984 and
received his first lessons from his father before later taking an interest in
the harpsichord. He went on to study musicology and history at Stanford
University, California, USA where he was mentored by George Houle, before
studying intensively with Peter Watchorn in Boston and completing his formation
with the celebrated Zuzana Růžičková in Prague.
He was a BBC New Generation
Artist from 2008-2010, a Borletti-Buitoni Trust prize winner, and in 2014 was
on the shortlist both for the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the
Year and Gramophone Artist of the Year. In
2015 he was honoured with the BBC Music Magazine ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award
and was nominated in three categories for the Gramophone Awards – Best Baroque
Instrumental, Best Instrumental, and again Artist of the Year.
Following a period as Artist-in-Residence
at New College, Oxford, he now continues his academic activities as professor
of harpsichord at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Since
making his London debut in 2009 he has worked tirelessly to establish the
harpsichord in the mainstream of concert instruments in classical and
contemporary repertoire.
Mahan Esfahani recently signed as an exclusive artist with Deutsche
Grammophon www.deutschegrammophon.com
. His first album for DG/Archiv, Time Present and Time Past reveals his
commitment to bringing a wide spectrum of music for harpsichord before the
public with works ranging from J.S. Bach and Scarlatti to Gorecki and Steve
Reich.
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Billed as minimalism meets baroque,
this new disc has already received some acclaim including an award of Choc de Classica in France. In Esfahani’s
words this disc aims to make connections between minimalism and the same
techniques of manipulation of patterns and cells practised by composers of 17th
and 18th century.
Esfahani opens with a
beautifully phrased performance of Alessandro
Scarlatti’s (1660-1725) Variations on La Follia with some lovely little varied rhythmic lines revealed
with tremendous dexterity. Esfahani brings the music alive building a terrific
forward momentum – quite brilliant.
The Allegro Molto
of Henryk Gorecki’s (1933-2010)
Harpsichord Concerto, Op.40 brings a formidable repeated motif for
harpsichord and orchestra with Esfahani, now joined by Concerto Koln, driving
the music forward with a vengeance. The connection or comparison here is seemingly
the repeated obligato patterns. It is in the concluding Vivace where perhaps the baroque links are most heard. The
orchestra drives the music frantically forward with the harpsichord moving in and
out of the orchestral texture. Later the harpsichord adds a dissonant
descending motif over the insistent orchestra before a sudden coda.
Carl Philipp Emanuel
Bach (1714-1788) is represented
here by his 12 Variations on La Folia D'Espagne in D Minor, Wq118,
No. 9. Here again there is more fine phrasing with some lovely twists and
turns in Bach’s variations. Esfahani takes
us through all of this with some terrific flourishes and fine textures with
moments of fine detail in the slower variations. This harpsichordist brings a
terrific panache, his brilliant articulation is so natural and lightly borne. One
feels the sense of a live performance such is his virtuosic improvisatory
skill.
Concerto Koln return for Francesco Geminiani’s (1687-1762) Concerto Grosso in D Minor bringing some
fine rich textures to the opening. There are some terrific individual
instrumental moments with fine, crisply articulated playing. The sonorities in the slower sections of the repeated
theme certainly register a connection with later minimalist composers before
building to a terrific coda.
Steve Reich’s (b.
1936) Piano Phase for Two Pianos,
here performed on two harpsichords by Mahan Esfahani, has been achieved by
overdubbing. A repeated motif for harpsichord leads the opening with subtle
little variations introduced. This work sits very well for harpsichord with the
subtle textural variations more clearly defined. Esfahani’s control and subtle
articulation is very fine making the overlay of instrumental lines mesmerising.
It is terrific how both the soloist and engineer have managed such incredibly
accurate dubbing. A terrific achievement especially as one line increases in
tempo over the slower theme. Eventually the sound shifts subtly as one
harpsichord leaves before both recorded instruments bring a subtly changed
motif. There is superb concentration from Esfahani who achieves a stunning
performance. For all its subtleties, terrific playing and concentration, one
has to be an ardent enthusiast for minimalism to be able to sustain over
sixteen minutes of this very repetitive piece. It builds some impressive offset
lines from the two instruments before the end is reached and the music just
stops.
Mahan Esfahani & Concerto Koln bring a superb
performance of JS Bach’s (1685-1750)
Harpsichord Concerto in D minor, BWV
1052 to conclude this disc with Esfahani and the orchestra bringing a
terrific rhythmic pulse to the Allegro. There are some terrific rich lower string
sounds with Esfahani achieving some fine control of dynamics. The opening of
the Adagio brings very fine
sonorities from the strings of Concerto Koln before Esfahani enters bringing a
lovely relaxed quality. There are lovely little decorations and a real dialogue
between soloist and orchestra. This
soloist brings superb musicianship, with Esfahani showing a freedom of
expression as he weaves around the theme. The Allegro brings a burst of energy from Concerto Koln with Esfahani joining
in a light and sparkling, infectious performance, again with terrific dialogue
and interplay between soloist and orchestra. Later Esfahani delivers a
brilliant solo harpsichord passage stunningly played.
With this power, energy, poetry and sheer musicianship I
found myself wanting more Bach.
As well as juxtaposing baroque and minimalist works this new
disc acts as a fine showcase for Esfahani’s fabulous technique, musicianship
and versatility. My download of the recording was excellent.
See also:
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