Pianist Yevgeny Sudbin has been praised across the world as a performer and recording artist, and has been hailed as "potentially one of the greatest pianists of the 21st century". Therefore, what a privilege it was to welcome him back to Breinton for the second time. On this occasion, he had his "little helpers" in tow to make the evening perfect!
Yevgeny’s years of success must be formed by many elements, but it seems to me that he has been dedicating his whole performing life to achieving ultimately one mission only; one which might be shared with many other musicians, but which Yevgeny is exceedingly good at. To me, his ultimate objective in performing is to express and convey the messages that the composers yearned to create, be it Prokofiev’s Fourth Sonata or his arrangement of Bach’s cantata. This was an intense but most satisfying affair – getting straight into business with no faff, no fumbling and no undesirable frills. His performance is direct and has no hesitation; it is full of assurance and confidence. He achieves this with iron-clad authority and clarity in his sounds; with superb accuracy eliminating imperfections with his eagle eye; with mighty technical skills which make the most fiendish passages look easy; with in-depth knowledge to interpret what seems ungraspable into an enriching experience; and with magical ability to create impressive tones and sounds in all shapes and textures.
Duet arrangements of Bach’s cantatas (with Yevgeny’s son Alik) and Prokofiev’s Cinderella Suite (with his daughter Bella) were received with great enthusiasm by the audience. How lovely it was to witness a young family making music together at such a high level. We hope their talent and commitment will continue to thrive and contribute to the future of classical music in some way or other.