The pianist Godwin Friesen is a holistic talent. The winner of the 2022 OSM Competition excels in both concertante and chamber ensembles, as well as solo performances. In addition, he composes, and very well! Yesterday afternoon, at the Cinquième Salle of the Place des Arts complex, the young man from the Prairies, now living in Montreal, impressed everyone in a concert focused, ironically, on a string quartet! That is, the Quartet No. 1 in E minor “From My Life” by Bedřich Smetana, the focus of the title and promotion of this concert, was preceded by the juvenile Trio No. 1, for piano, violin and cello by Dmitri Shostakovich (he composed it at the age of 16) and, another manifestation of early writing talent, two pieces by Friesen himself, one of which was a world premiere. The Shostakovich still betrays Rachmaninov influences, but it also lets through some of the rough edges that would become the composer’s trademark.
The music was brought to life by the three artists, and particularly Friesen on the piano, creator of sparkling colours and impeccable fluttering sound clusters. The young man’s two pieces, The Heavens Declare and A Tent for the Sun, are as much inspired by the text of Psalm 19 as by nature, and are expressed in a seductive, neo-romantic language. Friesen knows how to handle complexity and surprise while remaining accessible and interesting, even seductive. Frankly, I am very much looking forward to hearing more from him!
The Smetana Quartet, which finally arrived, allowed three very young recruits of the OSM to showcase their talents, including the exceptional Sebastian Gonzalez Mora on the viola. What a sound (and physical) presence he exudes. The Orchestra would do well to give him as much space as possible in the future. I also greatly appreciated the playing of the first violin, Sydney Adedamola. On the other hand, it seemed to me that the sound of the second violin, Justin Saulnier, was often too harsh in the more vigorous moments.
That said, it was a beautiful concert, generally very flattering for the local musical up-and-comers.
