“Extreme Demidenko” might have been the billing for the concert presented by the Steinway Society of the Bay Area on Sunday evening, April 29, 2007 at Le Petit Trianon, San Jose. The Russian-born, London-domiciled pianist comfortably exceeded the previous record decibel levels experienced at this intimate venue, while interspersing some serenely soft playing between the many thunderous climaxes. He demonstrated that he is phenomenally gifted in both technique and musicianship, despite the exaggerated approach to dynamics and drama in his chosen program.

The dichotomy between the very loud and very soft playing was illustrated clearly in the performance of Bach's Italian Concerto, where the outer movements were loud (and fast), and the slow movement was a beautifully sustained quiet melody over the gentle left-hand pulse, which had started out almost with Glenn Gould staccato mannerisms, but quickly settled into its supporting role. It was hard to believe that Bach, reputed to have played the delicate clavichord at home, would have enjoyed the heavy playing of the quicker movements.

Before the pure Bach work, we heard Liszt's transcription of one of Bach's organ works, so that it was reasonable to make allowance for the piano being used to evoke the grandeur of the organ, together with a dash of Lisztian flamboyance. Even so, in the Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, the Fantasy suffered tonally in the loud passages, and in the Fugue more attention was given to relentless rhythmic drive and the top line, rather than to clarity of all the fugal entries.

It was in Liszt's Variations on Bach's “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen” that Demidenko came into his own as an interpreter, managing the wide range of emotions and the large-scale structure of the work most convincingly, with ample virtuosity where called for. There were many felicities in the quiet playing, such as a change of coloration during a trill, and the central recitative duet with the two hands alternating was movingly done. During even the most tumultuous variations, it was notable that Demidenko retained his classic arched hand position, with great economy of movement. If only he would limit himself to fff rather than ffffff ! The piano tuner appeared during the intermission, not, it seemed, to adjust many notes, so much as to sympathize with the instrument.

Schumann's rarely heard Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 11, was a praiseworthy piece of programming., and Demidenko's performance was impressively clear in form and execution, if over-dramatized. Other virtues emerged in his idiomatic rubato for Schumann's more wayward moments, and the warmth he gave to the second subject in the opening movement. The short slow movement meandered expressively, and the scherzo was lively, with a delicious quiet response to the recitative in the intermezzo section. After some excessive violence, tempered by luscious interludes, the finale arrived at a fine climax, greeted with a standing ovation.

Perhaps the most satisfying music of the evening came in the three encores, which were all Scarlatti sonatas, played with consummate skill and taste. Scarlatti's trademark repeated notes, rapid scales and arpeggios, wide leaps and flowing melodies were all in evidence, deployed with the composer's endlessly inventive delight.