Armenian-born Vardan Mamikonian is said to be building his career slowly and carefully, avoiding the rapid ascension and burn-out that afflicts so many of today’s hot new competition winners. This measured progress allows him to develop a wide-ranging repertoire. Mamikonian plays with a predominantly light touch, which he uses to Mozartean effect in Mendelssohn’s Piano Conerto No. 1. In the Andante, the most interesting movement, Mamikonian produces wonderfully soft tones and exquisitely balanced chords. The first movement of the Liszt concerto brings forth rich sonorities as well as a degree of virtuosic vulgarity, which is an essential ingredient of this work. However, Mamikonian is a cultivated and tasteful player, and the last two movements are filled with lovely music-making.
The opening of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1 reveals the other end of Mamikonian’s sonic range–the big, full chords both here and in his stunning first movement cadenza nearly reach Horowitzian levels of volume and sturdy strength. David Stahl and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony supply imaginative and colorful accompaniments in the Rachmaninov and Liszt (with very assertive brass), and are fully proficient in the Mendelssohn. Orfeo’s recording perfectly balances piano and orchestra.
