22.07.19
Sergei Babayan beim Verbier Festival 2019
Daniil Trifonov and Sergei Babayan on fire: 'Under no circumstances whatsoever would I have missed this concert', a senior gentleman stated at the entrance. He was not alone. Mischa Maisky was there. Valery Gergiev showed 86 year old Rodion Shchedrin to his place. This would prove a concert of rare intensity. (...) In Schumann's Andante and Vatiations Op. 46, the piercing theme travelled from one keyboard to the other with a natural ease and a sense of unity that were almost disturbing. Nothing was left to chance here. The master and his former student seemed to share the same understanding of the scores, while approaching it in different style: Sergei Babayan's is dense and warm; that of Daniil Trifonov is uplifted and intense. (...) It came as no surprise that so complementary artists would choose Mozart's Concerto for two pianos to conclude this programme: the Salzburg genius had written it for his sister and himself. The two artists made us understand Michel Bouquet's saying: 'Mozart is music of the spheres.'
source: Le Figaro, 22 July 2019 (http://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/au-festival-de-verbier-verbier-daniil-trifonov-et-sergei-babayan-tout-feu-tout-flamme-20190722)
