Music does the talking

I’ve always liked the demeanour of Christian Zacharias, a multitasker who is home in any capacity be it in a solo, ensemble or conducting, writes Garry Fraser.

He just gets on with the job, with no palaver or histrionics and with a relaxed almost selfeffacing persona that hides a blistering technique and talent.

To borrow an over-used phrase, he makes the music do the talking and during his recital on Sunday at Perth’s Concert Hall it didn’t just talk, it screamed out. It was excellent in every sense of the word, a performance straight out of the “wow” category.

It’s not often Robert Schumann elbows Schubert and Beethoven aside, but courtesy of Zacharias he did just that.

His Davidsbundlertanze isn’t a regular work on the concert programme, but on this performance it should be.

Zacharias turned 18 little snippets, each reflecting the composer’s mixed emotions on his secret tryst with Clara Wieck, into miniature works of art at the time displaying astounding virtuosity.

However, such a superlative performance didn’t mean that the two Beethoven sonatas and one by Schubert were second rate.

Zacharias was a late recruit into the world of Beethoven but on Sunday’s form he could have had a life-long affinity.

Of the two, Op 90 and Op 109, the latter won by a nose, due to the his wonderful interpretation of the final movement.

The Schubert? A classy performance to say the least.

It doesn’t have the depth of the composer’s later sonatas, but as a concert aperitif it was perfect, at the same time giving us an indication of a performer at the very height of his powers.