YEFIM BRONFMAN TO PLAY WITH THE UTAH SYMPHONY THIS WEEKEND

It’s been a long time since Yefim Bronfman played in Salt Lake City. It’s taken 12 years for the Russian-born pianist to finally return to Utah, but this weekend he’ll be appearing with the Utah Symphony and Thierry Fischer playing Johannes Brahms’ imposing Second Piano Concerto. Also on the program are Igor Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Arnold Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night in his 1943 version for string orchestra.

Yefim Bronfman (Photo Credit: Dario Acosta)

In a phone interview with Reichel Recommends Bronfman talked about the concerto. “It’s very charming and beautiful. But it also has scope and dimension,” he said. It’s also longer than any concerto written up to that point (it was composed in the years 1878-81). “[Brahms] takes the concerto form into its next trajectory,” Bronfman added.

But the concerto is not just about size; there are numerous chamber-like moments spread throughout the nearly hour-long work. “It’s larger than life, but the writing is almost like opera for the piano. Throughout the piece there are a lot of duets between the piano and various instruments in the orchestra. There are hundreds of examples of this intimate element in the concerto.”

That chamber music aspect is one of the main factors that distinguishes the second concerto from the first. “The first is like a symphony,” Bronfman said. “The second has the symphonic element, too, but it also has a charming operatic element that the first one does not.”

The second is also a very demanding work, according to Bronfman. “I can’t speak for every pianist, but it is very hard. It has some of the most difficult pianistic challenges of any concerto.” He also added that frequently pianists fall into the trap of overplaying the work. “It’s easy to play it with too much bang. You have to be careful not to make it sound forced.”

Both concertos are staples of the repertoire and Bronfman said that the two are requested with the same frequency. “Both are very much in demand and I have a lot of calls for both. You know, Beethoven and Brahms are the foundation for any pianist or orchestra.”

Bronfman has recorded the Second and will record both concertos early next year with the Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst. “This will be live video recordings that will be released on DVD,” he said.

Throughout his long career, Bronfman has made numerous recordings and been nominated for several Grammy Awards. He won a Grammy in 1997 for his recording of the three Béla Bartók concertos with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen. His most recent recording, with the New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert, is a 2014 Grammy nominee. It features Magnus Lindberg’s Piano Concerto No. 2, which was commissioned for Bronfman. “We will see what happens,” he said.

  • CONCERT DETAILS
  • What: Yefim Bronfman, piano, Utah Symphony, Thierry Fischer, conductor
  • Venue: Abravanel Hall
  • Time and Date: 8 p.m. Sept. 19-20
  • Tickets: $18-$69 ($5 higher when purchased on day of performance)
  • Phone: 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787
  • Web: www.utahsymphony.org
  • ALSO:
  • Venue: Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts, Weber State University
  • Time and Date: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18
  • Tickets: $16-$37
  • Phone: 801-399-9214
  • Web: www.symphonyballet.org