Simon Trpčeski has recorded all of Rachmaninoff’s concertos as well as much of his solo keyboard output, and that experience was manifest in his no-holds-barred performance Thursday night. Launched with a punchy opening fanfare by Hrůša and the orchestra, Trpčeski leaped into the unbridled virtuosity of the opening movement, bringing the requisite power and panache as well as relaxing into the aching lyricism of the second theme.
The Macedonian pianist is a theatrical presence at the keyboard but he undoubtedly has the chops, tackling the fistfuls of notes with blazing speed and command, and putting across the youthful impetuosity of this score. Trpčeski artfully drew out the limpid theme of the Andante, and the final movement was as fast and exciting as one could ask, with Hrůša and the orchestra providing equally galvanic support. As well as matching his soloist’s fiery style, Hrůša illuminated details one rarely hears in this work, such as the bassoons’ singing line under the piano in the slow movement.
The vociferous ovations brought Trpčeski back out for a solo encore by his compatriot, Dimitrije Bužarovski (with Hrůša taking a seat at the back of the stage to hear it as well). “Ne si go prodavaj, Koljo” is an arrangement of a Macedonian folk song, beginning in a spare and introspective manner with a sudden jazzy breakout in the middle before returning to the subdued melancholy of the opening. The pianist played Bužarovski’s music with great nuance and sensitivity.
Pianist Simon Trpčeski has built an international reputation with his thoughtful and authentic musicianship. Trpčeski made his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2008, and especially in recent years, he has become something of a regular soloist with the ensemble. In his more than two-decade career, Trpčeski has constantly worked to expand his repertory and improve and deepen his playing. “I have always strived for development — to be a better person in general and hopefully that would make a better musician out of me,” he said.
The pianist is the Macedonian, Simon Trpčeski. He is admirable. We didn't know him well until a year ago. He was named artist in residence at the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic for the 2023-2024 season. He was therefore associated with several concerts throughout the season. That evening, he participated in his last concert. In this Brahms concerto, he gives everything he has in him. He is both elegant and valiant, indulges in pretty romantic phrases then sets off again with frenzied attacks. The exchanges between the piano and the orchestra are grandiose. Kazuki Yamada, at the head of the orchestra, gives him a sumptuous response.
At the beginning, we didn't know him well. Then, throughout the year, he became a favorite of Monegasque music lovers. He seduced us, dazzled us. We admired him. Even if we still only manage to pronounce his name with difficulty, the Madeconian pianist Simon Trpceski accompanied the entire musical season of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic, having been this season the artist in residence of the year. Arriving from a country where few classical musicians come from, he astonishes us with his virtuosity, with the depth of his playing in the repertoire of great music.
The Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski collaborated with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, where he played Brahms Piano Concert No. 2. His performance was precise and composed, while being relaxed and perfectly clear. He showed great power, particularly in the second movement, where the piano purred against the structure of the work. As an encore, the pianist made a great first: instead of the traditional solo piece to showcase his skills, he invited the concertmaster, principal violist, and principal cellist in a giving a subtle rendition of the Andante movement of the Brahms Quartet No. 3.
The conductor Kristiina Poska and soloist Simon Trpčeski complemented each other perfectly in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1. The pianist from North Macedonia mastered the technically demanding passages with ease and at the same time showed a great sense for the quiet, lyrical, and delicate.
Simon Trpčeski, born in Skopje, Macedonia, in 1979, is a highly talented classical pianist. For this, the 2023-2024 season, he holds the esteemed position of Artist in Residence with both the Orchestra Philharmonic of Monte-Carlo and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He is widely acclaimed for his exceptional virtuosity, profound expressiveness, and compelling stage presence.
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra completed a masterful performance with Vasily Petrenko and Simon Trpčeski, two men who know the orchestra well and the tastes of the Korean audience. Trpčeski, who previously performed with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009 and 2013, invited the audience into the world of Brahms, harmonizing with the orchestra without any sense of incongruity. In particular, his chemistry with the Royal Liverpool Orchestra led by Petrenko, who recorded all of Rachmaninoff's piano concertos, shined.
Simon Trpčeski brought a level of flash and sparkle to his performance of Saint-Saëns’ "Egyptian" Concerto that shows he knows how to be a showman. There was a gorgeous sense of air around the first theme, gently swaying and softy propelled, before giving way to a calmly propulsive first movement in which the orchestral sound was gently airborne throughout, thanks as much to the conducting of Thomas Søndergård as to the orchestral playing.
Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski is the RSNO’s 2023:24 Artist in Residence. In this short interview, we ask him what he enjoys most about Scotland, performing with the RSNO and the concerts he is looking forward to.
We are accustomed to thinking of Simon Trpčeski as a superlative pianist,’ wrote The Independent when Trpčeski founded MAKEDONISSIMO in 2018. ‘On the evidence of this concert he’s also a multi-instrumentalist with a winning sound as a folk singer; he’s also a bandleader and an accomplished MC.’ Enough said, except that if you’ve heard Trpčeski’s explosive performances with the full RSNO… well, he’s even more dazzling with this hand-picked folk band, cutting loose in the untamed folk music of his native Macedonia. Hold tight!
Any suspicions that the best-loved piano concerto in the repertoire might sound routine or stale were dispelled from the outset in this performance by Simon Trpčeski, by turns majestic, heaven-storming, intimate, dreamy and terpsichorean. The Macedonian pianist immediately warmed to the orchestra and audience, bringing an intensity of focus and purpose to his interpretation.