Jayson Gillham’s Beethoven is a delight

Australian pianist Jayson Gillham’s Sydney Opera House debut shows why he’s making waves in classical music.

Jayson Gillham’s account captured the Beethoven concerto’s lyrical essence. Picture: Andy Holdsworth.

Australian pianist Jayson Gillham has made quite an impact in the classical music world in recent times, notably since he won the 2014 Montreal International Music Competition.

For his Sydney Opera House debut, Gillham performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 4, the work that propelled him on to the podium in Montreal, where he was praised for his relentless elegance.

From his elegantly outlined, pearly toned rendition of the concerto’s opening theme, it was clear Gillham would deliver an interpretation of similar quality.

His sound was a winning blend of bright-toned clarity and appealing warmth. Tempos were expansive and measured, he gracefully dispatched the virtuosic passagework with dexterity, and his supple phrasing and subtle dynamic control stylishly realised the many sustained pianissimo passages.

Beethoven needs strength and power as well as sensitivity. Gillham was not found wanting in this department. In the ruminative slow movement, his quietly insistent solo line firmly navigated its way through the orchestral thunderclaps, ultimately achieving an atmosphere of rapt intensity.

It was not a flawless performance. There were sporadic missed or wrong notes and a couple of passages of indistinct articulation. But this hardly mattered as Gillham’s poised, insightful account captured the concerto’s lyrical essence. His encore of the Fugue from Bach’s Toccata, BWV 916 was a masterclass in how to illuminate intricate counterpoint with crystalline articulation.

The symphonic component of this concert — Symphony No 3 (Eroica) — picked up where Vladimir Ashkenazy left off from his Beethoven interpretations earlier this year. His is an unapologetically big-band, old-school approach. Mostly, it worked. Ashkenazy’s cause was also helped by the excellent orchestral playing. The burnished brass contributions and evocative, vibrant woodwind solos were underpinned by the well-blended and richly coloured strings.

What Ashkenazy’s approach cannot do is convey the symphony’s revolutionary impact with the same power as the best modern-style interpretations.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Piano: Jayson Gillham. Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy. Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, October 12. Concert repeated tonight, tomorrow and Monday. Tickets: $39-$147. Bookings: [phone] or online.