on 22 April 2023

Photographs by David Hogg of Horizon Imaging.

The performance was an evening of sublime tonal beauty, with pianist Sasha Grynyuk and our Yamaha C5L grand piano forming the perfect match. In our intimate setting, Sasha captivated the audience, who became increasingly eager and enthusiastic as the recital progressed. He played a programme that was personally significant to him, which he passionately explained to the audience, resulting in a moving experience for everyone.

Sasha's performance of Chopin's Fantasy was masterful, with the dreamy poetic theme at the beginning leading into the authoritatively played march-like passages, and the most tenderly touched Lento passage achieved with sheer beauty and a most agreeable tempo.

Liszt's Variations on a Theme of Bach, was so dark that you could almost hear the composer’s desperate pleas, but even in the relentless state of darkness and struggle, Sasha never failed to let the music breathe and give life with the most despairing passages fired with pinpoint accuracy. When the music shifted suddenly from minor to major key, as Gryunyuk had described prior to performing, there was a magical moment, evoking an image of angels soaring and all suffering coming to an end.

Mendelssohn's Variations Serieuses were characterized by great beauty, with Sasha's multi-dimensional music making and harmonic gems resulting in tone quality like no other. Full of contrasts in varied styles, each variation was captured distinctively.

Finally, in Brahms' Ballades, Sasha skilfully wove together a quietly flowing drama with strong messages, controlling the volume and subtle nuances to take the audience on an introspective journey. Our programme notes described them as “unjustly neglected pieces” and Sasha demonstrated exactly that. When the drama was over, one guest said “it was as if he took us with him”.

It was also an exciting bonus to hear contemporary composer Lera Auerbach's Diabellical Waltz, a piece inspired by Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, that Sasha loves and plans to perform for a long time.