Concert at Cap Rocat: David Khrikuli between Mysticism, Drama and Dance

Concert at Cap Rocat: David Khrikuli between Mysticism, Drama and Dance

The evening was mild, the sea behind the fortress still shimmering from the late sun, and glasses clinked in the alleys above Cap Rocat as guests made their way down the steep steps to the concert hall. Those who come here bring curiosity: the fortress itself is part of the evening, its thick walls let tones breathe differently. The young pianist David Khrikuli made exactly this his instrument: instead of showmanship he relied on density, precision and a warmth that lingered in the hall.

The program spanned wide arcs. At the beginning Khrikuli led through early and late miniatures by Alexander Scriabin, from preludes to the Deux Danses. You could sense how he treated small forms as interior spaces: each phrase was carefully modeled, his use of chromaticism more an atmospheric means than mere ornament. In the Tenth Sonata the impression arose that the instrument itself became a small cosmos in which calm and eruptive moments lay close together.

After this transcendent, sometimes almost fragile sonority, Franz Liszt provided a counterpoint. The Sonata après une lecture de Dante required not only digital virtuosity but narrative muscle. Khrikuli brought out the dramatic tensions, the abysses and the moments of light, without succumbing to pathos. The sonata thus gained in spatial force; the audience felt the journey from darkness to brightness as a formal, almost theatrical experience.

The Chopin block at the end of the program brought a different color: Polonaise Op.44, Waltz Op.64 No.1, Mazurka Op.56 No.3 and the large B minor Sonata Op.58 displayed Khrikuli's ability to shift between national gesture and personal introspection. The dance rhythms breathed lightness, while the sonata unfolded a dramatic panorama with a finale that visibly carried the listeners away. Matinee at Bodega Macià Batle: Chopin Scherzi and Mendelssohn Trio on 30 November 2025

Atmosphere and place made the evening special. Cap Rocat is not an ordinary hall: the acoustics shape sound into a bodily experience, the walk from the foyer to the seats, the murmur of the sea, the quiet conversation of guests — all of this felt like part of a small ceremony. That part of the series is organized by Nina Heidenreich fits well: as with the Impressionistic Season Opening at the Auditorium: Color, Sound and Late Romanticism, these are evenings that seek closeness, not distance, and the fortress permits exactly that.

The audience's reaction was warm: at the end many stood, not out of polite routine but out of conviction. Khrikuli returned for two encores, including the Grande valse brillante Op.18, which rounded off the program reconciliatorily with a smile and buoyant touch. Moments like these show how young soloists gain the audience's trust through intelligent programming and dramaturgical consistency.

For Mallorca such a concert is more than a pleasant evening: it anchors the island as a place where artistic experiments and high-caliber interpretations find room. In times when vacation and culture often exist side by side, it is refreshing to experience how culture here re-enters everyday scenes — walkers still standing on the promenade after work, hotel staff hearing a last piece after their shift, neighbors enjoying an unexpectedly elevated sound.

Looking ahead: If Cap Rocat continues to offer such programs and invites younger interpreters like Khrikuli, a network of venues and artists will emerge that attracts visitors while strengthening local culture. Not with great noise, but with the persistence of a melody you can no longer get out of your head, much like Brilliant Season Opening: OSIB Between Intimacy and Storm – an Evening That Resonates.

Location: Cap Rocat, fortress near Palma. Program highlights: Works by Alexander Scriabin, Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin; encore: Grande valse brillante Op.18. An evening that connected sound and place in a special way.