Trpceski's entry was modest but warm, with endless time to work over gentle phrases. Limpid expression asked little of the audience save to let the music wash over & immerse the hall. Brahms' muse, Clara Schumann, might have been present in the woodwind chorale that drifted in over rumbling piano before a fresh spark reignited the attack in majestic melody & harmony. Between solos Trpceski seemed to be shaping the sound as if conducting, returning to the keyboard for ethereal meanderings; lifting in cadenza-like flurries then fading to a chordal ensemble cadence.Launching instantly into the Rondo finale, Trpceski attacked with verve & virtuosic flair, handing off to the orchestra for another mood swing and frenzy of notes.All were spectators for a brilliant cadenza display that drew the orchestra into a final canter through blistering runs to a bombastic conclusion.

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Transcriptions of Macedonian traditional music

by Pande Shahov in collaboration with Simon Trpčeski

23.10.2023 / Sombor, Serbia / Somus Festival / Svečana sala Gradske kuće / 19:00h / Concert details

24.10.2023 / Zagreb, Croatia / Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall / 20:00h / Concert details

26.10.2023 / Novi Sad, Serbia / Nomus Festival / Sinagoga, Novi Sad / 20:00h / Concert details

28.10.2023 / Timișoara, Romania / Filarmonica Banatul Timișoara - Sala Capitol / 19:00h / Concert details

Friendship comes out of a strong sense of belief, stemming from his country’s struggle throughout the age, his love for music, his faith in humanity’s inner strength and, above all, his friends and colleagues who made this recording happen. Mirroring this confidence-embracing approach, the neatly curated repertoire includes Brahms’s fiery Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, a work full of love, power and boldness. Connesson’s jaw-dropping Divertimento is presented in a fantastic newly available arrangement by percussionist Vlatko Nushev. And sandwiched between the two, Pande Shahov’s three-movement Quintet ends in a triumphant manner.

Born in Skopje, virtuoso pianist Simon Trpčeski is one of the most sought-after pianists today! With his powerful pianism and deeply expressive and unique interpretations, he won not only the hearts of listeners in concert halls around the world, but also left critics with only one choice: reviews of his concerts are turned into panegyrics! He performed as a soloist with the world's largest orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he performed last season in the Lisinski Saturday cycle.

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Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski and his international group also treated us to a newish piece by another Macedonian, Pande Shahov, in a nicely-proportioned programme that started with high seriousness and ended with a fluffy-light soufflé.

The pair began with Mozart’s Violin Sonata in E minor K304 – a genial, if subdued opening. Vengerov’s rivers of legato were even more delectable when combined with the sonorities from his 1727 ‘Kreutzer’ Stradivari. Prokofiev’s First Violin Sonata upped the temperature considerably, with Vengerov in high-concentration mode during the eerie filigree passages. Rough-hewn lunges during the second movement were tempered with sweetness, while Trpčeski felt like an amiable demon at the piano. The mellow, introspective Andante eventually yielded to the reprise of the violin filigree in the finale, returning like a love letter.

Listen to Simon Trpčeski's interview on BBC Radio 3's In Tune together with Maxim Vengerov talking about their upcoming concert on January 10 in London's Barbican Hall. January 7 at 17:00 GMT / 18:00 CET

The wondrously talented Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski opens daringly with Brahms’s wistful Intermezzo, Op117, before a dazzlingly reading of the Op24 Variation and Fugue on a theme by Handel. Then the totally different soundworld of Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales bursts forth in all its dizzying glamour, before a selection of Poulenc’s charming Novelettes and Improvisations brings this masterly recital to a classy close. A disc to savour. Highly recommended.