The resonant chords of Russian-born pianist Katya Apekisheva enthralled a rapt audience at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff this past weekend. Renowned primarily as an eminent chamber musician, Apekisheva seized the spotlight as a soloist of immense technical mastery and interpretive depth in a program traversing Russian and French keyboard repertoire.
From Russia With Power
Opening with the thunderous chords of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Apekisheva immediately commanded attention, her hands a blur as they navigated the work’s demanding passages. Her use of extreme dynamics underscored the music’s programmatic elements, the final “Great Gate of Kiev” movement resounding with both triumph and an undercurrent of lament, given current world events.
Turning to her compatriot Tchaikovsky, Apekisheva offered the final three selections from The Seasons, imbuing them with balletic grace. While her generous rubato threatened to imperil an imaginary dancer’s footing, it highlighted her gift for crafting expansive melodic arcs and phrasing.
Forgotten French Gems
Yet Apekisheva’s advocacy for lesser-known French works proved the recital’s revelation. She opened with two contrasting Nocturnes by Gabriel Fauré, the stormy passion of the E-flat minor yielding to the mercurial harmonic shifts of its A-flat major companion. Rarely programmed, these pieces emerged in a shimmering new light under Apekisheva’s fingers.
Rarer still were two evocative portraits by Mel Bonis, a prolific Parisian composer long overshadowed by her male contemporaries. Apekisheva brought palpable drama to the surging virtuosity of “Mélisande” and queenly poise of “Omphale,” making a compelling case for this neglected voice.
Apekisheva was a highly persuasive advocate of two of Bonis’s keyboard portraits of legendary women, the Mélisande of Maeterlinck’s play, and Omphale, the mythological Queen of Lydia, their flowing virtuosity and dramatic control revelatory.
Old Meets New
Bridging past and present was Elena Langer’s L’Armoire de Couperin, a 2020 work nodding cheekily to Ravel’s baroque-inspired suite while exploiting the modern piano’s resources. Its quirky wit sparkled in Apekisheva’s crisply articulated interpretation.
Throughout this wide-ranging program, Apekisheva proved a fearless explorer, guiding listeners through familiar terrain and uncharted musical territory with authority and élan. Her protean pianism left no doubt as to her solo bona fides, leaving her audience eager for a return voyage.
