Exquisite control and amazing agility – Prokofiev suits Tsybuleva’s interpretative characteristics like a glove.
Tsybuleva reveals deep empathy for the hushed anguish cocooned in the heart of Brahms. Passionate, exquisite, hypnotic.
Every magical note of Tsybuleva’s performance held the audience spellbound by her artistry.
Tsybuleva’s playing exudes poise from the outset. She plays with real lightness and the resulting clarity is revelatory without being analytical in the Pollini sense. The result is positively illuminating, finding profound beauty and tenderness.
Poetic lyricism, combining geniality with grace.
Music for the Brave
Anna Tsybuleva infected the audience with her own enthusiasm for Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2. What can often only be perceived as an overlay of weird sounds becomes an expression of clear, convincing emotions in her interpretation – emotions that can stir and unsettle, but above all grab and carry you away.
Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 occupies a special place in Tsybuleva’s repertoire. Once you hear the first notes, you will understand why. It doesn’t matter whether it’s contrasting timbres, somber ostinatos or astounding harmonies, she succeeds in embedding everything in a natural musical logic that inspires even reserved skeptics.
One can choose complete sets [of the Debussy Préludes] from Walter Gieseking, Monique Haas, Arturo-Benedetti Michelangeli and, more recently Francesco Piemontesi, Pierre Laurent Aimard or Vanessa Bonelli Mosell amongst many others. Anna Tsybuleva is joining a fairly crowded market but this Leeds competition winner shows that she can hold her own alongside the best. Her sustained line in ‘Danseuses de Delphes’ avoids the stiff formality that some choose to adopt and she adds glorious pedalling to this in the veiled landscapes of ‘voiles’. She pedals lightly in ‘la vente dans la plaine’ but still achieves clarity and a lightness of touch that shines throughout the recital; in the joyful freedom of ‘les collines d’Anacapri’, the quirky humour of ‘la sérénade interrompue’ and ‘General Lavine – Eccentric’ or the light-hearted impishness of Puck’s danse. She coaxes wonderful colours from the instrument, and its rich bass adds to the magic of ‘La cathèdrale engloutie’; her sound in the final C major section, its muted tones so different to the rest of piece, is beautifully judged. […] This is as good a recording of these pieces as I can imagine and the personal connection that Ms Tsybuleva describes in her introduction shines through in every bar. Recorded in utterly glorious sound this is a worthy addition to the great sets that have gone before.
From the very beginning, you can tell from Tsybuleva’s playing that she is listening to the sound, not led astray by the ‘little dramatic stories’ in Debussy’s music, and that she goes beyond certain dynamic limits – rather imbuing her playing with tonal subtleties and lively agogics that bring Debussy’s lucid and fragrant world of sound to life. Tsybuleva’s Préludes are a constant flow of emotions that intertwine, images that build up before your eyes, but it is not as if she does not interpret – quite the opposite. In ‘Ce Qu’a Vu le Vent d’Ouest’, she goes into the heart of the music, increasing the drama to the dark and brutal, whilst she gives ‘La Cathédrale Engloutie’ the exact magic that the musical idea expresses. ‘Ondine’ becomes a fairytale piece with glittering sprinkles of water, and at the end in ‘Feux d’artifice’ she artfully highlights her ability with a light and equally virtuoso touch, so that you can almost smell the fire…. A magnificent interpretation of Debussy’s Préludes.
Refined technique and vivid musical imagination…. Her variety of touches and discerning musicianship are evident in every bar.
Exquisite control and amazing agility – Prokofiev suits Tsybuleva’s interpretative characteristics like a glove.
Tsybuleva’s Debussy is an inspired vision, full of great sonic beauty.
Tsybuleva captivated the audience: full pianistic command and overwhelming virtuosity, coupled with astonishing naturalness. This was an evening of profound artistic relevance.
Pianist sparks cheers
In Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto – considered one of the most difficult pieces in piano literature – Anna Tsybuleva faced the mighty cascades of laments and gigantic leaps that the composer demands with great composure. The highlight of the evening was her large solo performance of the first movement. Tsybuleva was celebrated with righteous storms of applause from the packed hall.
Ecstatic interplay between soloist and orchestra
Tsybuleva interpreted Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto with astonishing sovereignty. She successfully combined enormous technical skills with a nuanced richness of timbre. Like a pianistic whirlwind, she swept across the entire range of the piano. Her outstanding motor skills were showcased to the full and breathtaking throughout. The finale escalated to monstrous orchestral language which was captured by Tsybuleva in all its dazzling brilliance. She earned rightful jubilation from the packed concert hall, who demanded an encore.
Clearly a sensitive soul…she knows how to float long, lyrical lines with a cushioned singing tone, and how to blend rippling passagework with the orchestra… a fine artist in the making.