Review of the concert in Florence with Zubin Mehta

It was a wonderful evening at Florence’s Teatro Comunale, with Indian conductor Zubin Mehta really in great shape. On the program, Liszt’ Concert Nr. 2 for piano and orchestra, a work not so famous and much less performed than Concert Nr. 1. The soloist was young Russian Denis Matsuev, who plays with great virtuosity and subtleties.

Matsuev plays solidly, his sound is bright and rich in volume so that he can compete with the full sound of Mehta’s ensemble. Moreover, the young soloist looks for the right colours and expressivity, and shows a pianism rich in strong contrasts.

His collaboration with Mehta and the Orchestra was exemplary at all, with a continuous exchange of ideas and stimulations. Matsuev had a real triumph and played even three encore.