Istanbul has been around since 660 B.C., back when it was Byzantium. Bach is more than 300 years old. Neve Shalom Synagogue is from the ’50s, and Konstantin Lifschitz is one of the most important musical finds of this century. I was lucky enough to see the meeting of all four last Thursday, on Oct. 24, at Bach Days (Bach İstanbul’da)!
As a curious, amateur follower of chamber music and piano recitals — I have never been talented enough to become more involved — I was quite impressed by Konstantin Lifschitz’s reputation. No doubt, his background is worthy of respect; he was regarded as a child prodigy when he first became attracted to the piano at the age of 5. He was only 13 when the Russian Academy of Music was convinced that a Russian piano legend had been born. And it’s easy to see why. At his concert in the Neve Shalom Synagogue, he made it feel as if this captivating, unique, inspiring performance was just a piece of cake for him.
Sadly, young audiences — another expostulation on generations is on the way — are not aware of the fascinating experience of listening to classical music. Still, I was expecting more youngsters to be in the queue. Nevertheless, it was a delightful two-hour-long concert, with no words spoken and no noise — except for the small breaks that included some Turkish delight, snacks and tea!
Lifschitz is not only a world-famous musician who performs with major artists (Gidon Kremer, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Maxim Vengerov, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, and more) at the most prestigious of halls, but he also is very much dedicated to chamber music. With special thanks to the synagogue, it was our pleasure to listen to him under the cozy, historical and divine roof.
At the end of the concert, Lifschitz quickly stood up, gave one of his modest and smooth smiles — I believe he didn’t even blink — bowed his head a few times and went straight backstage. He said not a word. But none were needed; he had played effortlessly. I then remembered a quote I had read in the bulletin of Bach İstanbul’da by critic Richard Dyer from The Boston Globe: “…Liking or disliking a genius such as Lifschitz is a pointless exercise; he is irrefutably there, like Callas or Glenn Gould, and you just have to deal with it.”
