Review
Romantic concert in a class of its own
"A concert pleasure at its best", was the unanimous verdict of the guests after the concert, which was rewarded with a standing ovation.
Kirschnereit opened the concert evening with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "Lied ohne Worte". Kirschnereit presented the piece as pure Mendelssohn and also explained the life of the composer, who was already celebrated as a superstar during his lifetime.
Richard Wagner's "Sonata for the Album of Mrs M.W." continued the evening. According to Kirschnereit, Mathilde Wesendonck, Wagner's temporary muse and lover, was behind M.W. He also proved to be an eloquent communicator on the concert evening, giving the guests his view of the works performed.
With the piece "Erinnerung" by Anton Bruckner, who, like Wagner, was not a pianist, Kirschnereit showed the rather unknown side of the composer. A nocturne and a scherzo by Frédéric Chopin, who composed exclusively piano pieces, led the guests to the interval.
The second part of the concert evening was dedicated to the Sonata in F minor, opus 5, by Johannes Brahms. Matthias Kirschnereit described the sonata, in which many motifs are modelled on Robert Schumann's music, as a veiled symphony. Brahms' life motto "Free, but lonely" becomes visible in the sonata. Matthias Kirschnereit was only allowed to leave the stage after two encores with pieces by the early Romantic composer Franz Schubert and the late Romantic composer Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov.
With and through Matthias Kirschnereit, the music on the concert evening became a message, a personal address, which the artist presented with the greatest intensity and intimacy. He succeeded in touching and stirring the concert guests. With Kirschnereit, music takes on a soul.