Simon Trpčeski wins high praise for new Glasgow live album

Simon Trpčeski's new live album, recorded at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, has drawn strong praise from leading European classical critics. The CD uses the artwork "Pejzazh" by visual artist Slavcho Spirovski for its cover and collects performances from two concerts given in February and June 2024.

Critical reaction and musical highlights

Jeff Brown of BBC Music Magazine awarded the album five stars, singling out Trpčeski's readings of the opening passages of the Second Concerto, the pianist's technical precision, and his rapport with the conductor and orchestra. Brown also pointed to the final movement of the Fifth Concerto, noting the closing passage followed by applause from the audience.

French magazine Diapason gave a positive review as well: critic Pol de Loi wrote that the two Glasgow recordings — made several months apart — reveal different dimensions of Trpčeski's pianistic technique and his approach to the music of Saint‑Saëns.

Dirk Schaus of the German outlet Online Merker praised Trpčeski's artistic stance: "Simon Trpčeski once again proves that he belongs to the elite of his profession, among those who do not rely on stagecraft but approach things from an architectural perspective. This is a CD for connoisseurs who value the intellectual depth of the music and can easily get by without cheap tricks," Schaus wrote.

Rémi Frank, editor of the Luxembourg classical magazine Pizzicato, rated the performance with five notes, highlighting Trpčeski's technical preparedness, sensitivity and his use of varied tonal colours in the interpretations.

According to the KulturOp association, Trpčeski will perform on October 22 in Minneapolis with the Minnesota Orchestra, whose music director is Thomas Søndergaard, and later in Tenerife with the local symphony. He is also scheduled to appear on November 2 and 3 at the Philharmonic in Skopje during two evenings of the festival "Chamber Music Dessert."

Photo: K. Popov/