Freddy Kempf
Barbican

FEW musicians are as divisive as pianist Freddy Kempf (right). Many critics slam his bravura, insisting he prizes extremes of speed and volume above all else.
Yet audiences will invariably jump to their feet in rapturous applause as his concerts thunder to a close like a firework display.
Still only in his 20s, recent recordings of the Beethoven Piano Trios suggest he is starting to temper some of his youthful excesses.
With a crowd-pleasing program for Saturday’s concert at the Barbican, another standing ovation is almost guaranteed.
There’s Beethoven’s Appassionata and Moonlight sonatas both with furious final movements.
The temptation is always there to play both finales at breakneck speed.
The trick is to avoid doing so at the expense of the pathos buried beneath the semiquavers.
Equally fearsome are the Chopin Etudes, which Kempf is playing in their entirety.
Each one an Everest in their technical difficulty, it will be rare treat to hear a set in one sitting.