Cameo Role

Wigmore Hall, Sunday 9th September 2007. All the Russian greats were there: Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and Kissin. Though of course the first three were in musical form, the latter in a rather more tangible incarnation. Kissin played his cameo role to perfection, and who doesn't like a bit of celebrity-in-the-audience spotting? There was also a healthy dollop of Russian superstition. Boris Berezovsky, pianist of the Makhtin/Berezovsky/Kniazev piano trio explained that, just as the repertoire of that night (Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov) was due to be recorded, their record company went 'spectacularly out of business'. So in order to ward off future bad luck, a change of programme was in order. Out with Rachmaninov and in with Tchaikovsky, who according to Berezovsky is 'another Russian composer'.Well said. Bridget Jones would be proud.