Evgeny Kissin has always divided listeners into two camps. For some, he is practically the only pianist of his generation worth listening to; others have found his brilliance brittle, his playing lacking emotional depth. The last time I heard him I thought I - and he - might be thawing. My theory was backed up by this recital.
The first half was devoted to Chopin, four Impromptus framed by four Polonaises. The Op 26 C sharp minor Polonaise brought dramatic contrast from the start, between the fierceness of the opening and the impassioned lyrical passage that followed. Kissin's lyricism was muscular and resolute, never timid, and it seemed genuine, even heartfelt.
It was, perhaps, a shame that Kissin didn't readily use the instrument's quietest reaches; but there was never a hint that the piano might be reaching its limits at the other end of the spectrum. There were moments in the C minor Polonaise, Op 40 No 2, when he drew a cumulative level of sound you might not have suspected was possible. The A major Polonaise, Op 53, grew from a mesmeric bridging passage into a thundering showpiece. Ample demonstration, then, of the composer's serious, powerful and virtuosic side, even if there was little of Chopin the charmer.
After this, the tenderness with which he began Medtner's Sonata Reminiscenza in A minor came as a welcome surprise - as did the unfamiliar piece itself, a wistful but perpetually flowing work that showed Kissin at his most poised and sensitive.
It was back to brilliance for Stravinsky's own glittering transcription of three movements from Petrushka - they were, as ever, a white-knuckle ride, though some pianists bring more subtlety to them. There were three encores: the first, a Chopin transcription by Liszt, brought the charm that had been lacking early on; the applause that greeted Tchaikovsky's name, announced before the third, brought something from Kissin that was definitely, unambiguously, a smile. Either I'm going soft, or he is.
· At the Royal Festival Hall tomorrow. Box office: 0870 401 8181.
