Volodos and Berezovsky

ARCADI VOLODOS

Solo Piano Works: Sergei Rachmaninov’s Concerto in D Minor for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 30. Performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by James Levine.

Sony Classical CD, 2000, $18

A convergence of greatness has produced a thrilling experience that is a gift to all of us. James Levine arouses every possible nuance of the great Berlin Philharmonic. Arcadi Volodos, pianist, envelops the concert hall with power, passion, and precision.

The new Sony CD of the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto will awaken the innermost emotions of the listener. The tempos are aggressive, then placid, then again relentless, and all perfectly refined by Maestro Levine. The dynamic levels are equally embraced by the orchestra and piano.

The 27-year-old Volodos has complete mastery of the monumental Rachmaninoff manuscript. Very few keyboard artists have been able to communicate with such clarity the exhaustive range of emotions and technique required to perform this Concerto. The recording is absolutely brilliant.

Of particular note is the give and take of piano and orchestra. It is not all piano with instrumental accompaniment. Levine brings the orchestra to the foreground  while  Volodos retreats. This ebb and flow between the two is a constant factor for us to appreciate.

While enjoying the CD at home I heard some background sounds which I thought were coming from outside my home. What a surprise to hear the overwhelming ovation of the audience of this live performance. The recording engineer, Richard King, has captured what I first thought was a perfect studio performance.

This total collaboration of greatness is followed by more solo piano works after the concerto. You will certainly want to have this recording around to excite your senses even after the most  arduous of days.

— Arthur Zorn

GODFATHER OF THE KREMLIN: BORIS BEREZOVSKY AND THE LOOTING OF RUSSIA

By Paul Khlebnikov

Harcourt, 2000, $28

Was it mere coincidence that, as Russia tumbled into the abyss of economic depression—complete with hyperinflation, bank closures, devaluations, and defaults—there arose from these embers a handful of newly-wealthy Russian bosses?

A coincidence it was not.

It was, in fact, boundless corruption, avarice, greed and sleaze that enabled these bosses (a.k.a. the oligarchs) to negotiate sweet buyout deals on asset-rich, cash-strapped soviet enterprises, to carve up Russia’s wealth and impoverish millions so that a few might steal unfathomable wealth.

This we know. But, all to often, in the flow and flight of everyday life, we observe individual events yet fail to see the thread that ties them together.

Khlebnikov, in his long-awaited biography of oligarch Boris Berezovsky (his Forbes magazine profile wrought much controversy, a weighty lawsuit and more than one death threat) shows us one very important thread entwined through the course of Russia’s recent history. And it is a compelling, disturbing tale. Compelling, because Khlebnikov knows how to tell a story. Disturbing, because this narrative will discourage even the most optimistic observers about the future of reform in Russia.

The story of Boris Berezovsky—math professor turned Kremlin power-broker—is so interesting because his life is an allegory, a fable for where Russia has been and where it may be going. Godfather of the Kremlin begins with Berezovsky’s rise to prominence after the Great Mob War of 1993 and trails off with the Putin presidency. The decade-long history of this one oligarch’s asset grab parallels a Russia-wide growth in corruption, thievery and violence. And it proves a sobering reminder that, for all of the advances of democracy and free markets this past decade, Russia has fallen victim to many of the worst possible excesses of robber capitalism.

While some of Khlebnikov’s assertions can never be proven (e.g. Berezovsky’s role in the Listyev killing and in fomenting Chechen unrest), the explanations offered here are compelling and cannot be dismissed outright. And his portrayal of the seamy side of expat life in Moscow, of the desperate 1996 shenanigans to keep Yeltsin in power and of the battle for control of Russia’s oil complex are without compare.

What goes on in Russia’s halls of power can be likened to two cats tussling in a bag. Only the cats inside really know what is going on, whether they are fighting, playing, or just play-acting. But to those of us on the outside, it just looks like a bag, writhing and bumping around on the floor. Like few books on Russia in recent years, Khlebnikov offers us a brief glimpse inside the bag of cats. As a result, in future, we might just be able to understand some of the writhing around for what it really is.

— Paul Richardson