Some concerts creep up on you. Others announce themselves with force. Piotr Anderszewski’s recital at Melbourne Recital Centre did something rarer. It invited us in with quiet confidence and then held the entire room completely still. It was the kind of night that reminds you why we gather in concert halls instead of sitting at home scrolling through recordings.
The program opened with twelve pieces selected from Brahms’ late piano works Opp. 116 to 119. These miniatures can feel introspective, even private, but Anderszewski treated them like a conversation he was having directly with us. Nothing about his playing felt unconsidered. Every shift in colour had purpose. Every pause had weight. There was virtuosity here but it was the kind that draws you closer rather than pushing you back. The hall was silent enough (save for the single phone ringing that, I swear, brought a subtle shake of the head from the pianist) to hear the softest phrases land like thoughts forming in real time.
After interval came Bach. Anderszewski delivered the Prelude and Fugue in E major BWV 878 and the Prelude and Fugue in G sharp minor BWV 887 with a clarity that never tipped into dryness. He let the melodic lines speak with a simplicity that suited the space. Elisabeth Murdoch Hall has the kind of acoustic that wraps a performer in a warm glow without smudging the detail. It felt made for this music.
Then came one of the loveliest theatrical touches of the evening. Without any break or invitation for applause, Anderszewski slipped straight into Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31 in A flat major Op. 110. You could feel the audience catch on one by one. A tiny ripple of realisation moved through the hall. It was clever and charming and made the transition feel like part of the storytelling rather than a reset.
His Beethoven had an almost improvisatory quality. Not loose for the sake of it but alive to the moment. Dynamic shifts surprised us yet always connected to the emotional flow of the work. The Arioso dolente was especially moving and the fugue grew with a kind of quiet determination that suited Anderszewski’s understated presence at the keyboard. Nothing was showy beyond necessity. Everything was honest and heartfelt.
Two encores followed after an eruption of applause at the end of the evening. The first felt like a warm nod to the audience and the final encore offered a gentle send off. A perfect ending.
Musica Viva deserves real credit for bringing this artist to Australia and for programming a recital that felt both rare and completely right for this venue. Elisabeth Murdoch Hall remains one of the great gifts to Melbourne audiences. Nights like this prove it.
To book tickets to Piotr Anderszewski (Musica Viva Australia), please visit https://www.musicaviva.com.au/concert-season/past-seasons/concerts-2025/piotr-anderszewski/.
Photographer: Claudio Raschella
