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Young Concert Artists presented its latest laureate, Kiron Atom Tellian, in a daring recital Tuesday night in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. The 23-year-old Austrian pianist focused on the virtuosic form of the romantic etude, mixing examples by Chopin, Scriabin, and Robert Schumann.

Tellian opened the program with a non-etude, Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 2, subtitled “Sonata-Fantasy.” With technical challenges a-plenty, the pianist displayed some of the finesse side of his musicianship, for which he has won awards for playing Bach and Haydn, among others. In the more wistful first movement, he phrased the main motif, a triplet slowly receding in sound, like an ebbing wave.

The complex textures of the piece came across in meticulous detail, sometimes so much that the topmost layer practically evanesced out of existence. Tellian’s left hand is particularly powerful, booming in octaves that underpinned the first movement’s climaxes. The second movement, taken at a roiling Presto tempo, had little of that subtle approach, with a buzzing cloud of musical ideas surging in a stormy mass.

At the recital’s heart came a selection of thirteen etudes, alternating between works of Chopin and Scriabin, drawn from the former’s Op. 25 and from three of the latter’s sets. (A few selections were wisely shorn from the program published in advance).

The juxtaposition often revealed similarities between the two composers, as in the opening pairing of Chopin’s “Aeolian Harp” (Op. 25, no. 1) and Scriabin’s Op. 42, no. 1. Chopin’s whirring sextuplets and Scriabin’s opposition of nine notes in the right hand versus five in the left created a harmonic blur beneath a delicate melody.

Delicacy marked Scriabin’s Op. 42, no. 3 with measured trills in both hands creating a tinkling music-box effect.

The next two etudes from Chopin’s Op. 25 set highlighted the pianist’s interpretative strengths. The syncopations of No. 4 sounded jaunty but admirably shaped, with Tellian’s avoidance of an overly clipped staccato evening out the piece’s overall effect.

Tellian showed a masterful control of the parallel sixths in Chopin’s Op. 25, no. 8, partly by relaxing the tempo. Scriabin seemed to echo that work’s texture in his youthful Op. 8, no. 10. Scriabin composed the Op. 65 etudes a couple years before his death, with the right hand of no. 1 moving in disturbing parallel ninths. No. 3, with its lack of tonal center, prominence of tritones, and crushingly loud dissonance added a sound world far distant from the other etudes. The return to Scriabin’s romantic idiom in the last etude, Op. 8, no. 12, sounded jarring in contrast.

Tellian’s bespoke etude set paralleled Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes, with both of the non-variation etudes (No. 3 and 9) and two of the posthumous etudes restored from the composer’s cuts. A greater variety of touch kept the ear engaged throughout this long work. Extraordinary contrapuntal clarity distinguished Variation I, and lovely rubato marked Variation II. Melodic pings popped up in unexpected places in Variation III.

Tellian did not take all the repeats, but those he did observe, as in Variation IV and Posthumous Variation V, featured some sparkling shifts in voicing to bring out inner lines. The intense rubato of Variation VI and the odd French overture of Variation VII were stamped by admirable extremes of expression. Putting Posthumous Variation IV, in pensive minor, after Posthumous Variation V, set up an exciting push through the concluding variations. The full-throated rendition of the Finale, with its surprising shift to a different theme, again relied on the foundation of Tellian’s puissant left hand.

Referring to the “half of my family” with Armenian heritage, Tellian offered a reflective encore, an unspecified Armenian Dance by Komitas, the Armenian priest, folk-song collector, and composer. The music’s modal differences and folk-like simplicity made a bracing contrast to an ultra-refined evening.

Two intense weeks. Emmanuel Tjeknavorian takes up his role as music director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, both in terms of his position and its home base. Following introductory concerts some months ago and the recent inauguration tour hosted at La Scala, the young conductor-violinist offers two bold concert programs to the audience at Largo Mahler. On the stands are Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides Overture, Schumann’s Violin Concerto, and Schubert’s “little” Symphony in C Major. On the morning of the 24th, in the chamber setting of the Teatro Gerolamo, he will perform as both a chamber musician and concertmaster alongside orchestra colleagues, presenting Schönberg’s Verklärte Nacht and Mendelssohn’s Octet, Op. 20. Meanwhile, this afternoon (at 4 PM), at the Auditorium di Milano, Tjeknavorian reprises the program that officially inaugurated his new artistic role. As in previous occasions, he shows a preference for straightforward, single-themed programs with traditional design. To this end, he included a short piece to “warm up” the orchestra (Berlioz’s Rákóczi March), a concerto in the first half (the sumptuous and rhapsodic First Concerto by Chopin), and, in the second half, a symphony or similar piece (Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in the electrifying version by Schönberg). He invites the audience to recognize the subtle thread that connects the pieces, not only to highlight his careful curatorial choices but also to underscore his commitment to making the orchestra’s musicians more versatile and curious. What matters most to this young conductor—exceptionally young for such a profession—is demonstrating how tradition can still teach and engage young performers in their twenties on stage (and perhaps bring others of the same age into the audience). This was evident in his interpretation of the well-known Chopin concerto with Kiron Atom Tellian at the piano—together under fifty years old. The piece was purged of salon-like virtuosity and presented as a bold, authorial declaration. Despite the creativity being somewhat chaotic in form and youthful in nature, it was anchored by mature perspectives: somber and already tinged with fatalism. In the introductions, the orchestra lit up the dense instrumental writing, emphasizing dynamics and timbres. The brushstrokes of color were sleek and raw, avoiding “romantic” gallantries. They prepared the canvas for the soloist, who, without resorting to ostentatious virtuosity, articulated phrases, accents, and lyrical lines with remarkable freedom. Intriguing was how Tellian dissected the athletic, “Paganini-esque” score to extract its essence: the emotional and pianistic tone that had not existed before Chopin. The heart of the program is there. Alongside it are interpretative flourishes, such as the dazzling (and, for Tjeknavorian, even unsettling) explosions of dance-like movements and Hungarian colors that tie Berlioz to Brahms’s concluding Rondo alla Zingarese. Irresistible. The enthusiasm they generate is well-deserved. Here, the conductor’s most distinctive qualities—an uncompromising attention to rhythm, intonation, and orchestral detail—find joyous and exuberant (yet not naïve) expression.

For this young Austrian, twenty-one years old, it's not enough to merely navigate the technical difficulties and great virtuosity demanded by Chopin’s works—he immerses himself completely in the essence of the music to convey its full emotional weight. Even though he is still very young, he possesses great maturity, and his touch is already exceptional. Kiron Atom Tellian belongs to the rare breed of pianists who caress the piano, whose fingers lovingly glide over the keyboard, drawing out infinite nuances, from the most subtle and gentle to the most vigorous and dynamic. He is among those who do not just play but are truly in the music. Under his fingers, the piano comes to life and tells incredible stories, ever-changing—like the moods of the composers he interprets. Here Frédéric Chopin, with his Mazurkas (Nos. 1 to 4, Op. 33) and the Sonata in B minor Op. 58—fragile, sometimes fleeting, nostalgic too, interspersed with bursts of drama, sparkling and ephemeral like the reflections of light on the water's surface. About Chopin, he says: ‘The works are profound and moving, and there is always more to explore […] you could spend several lifetimes with his music without ever reaching the depths of what he expressed in his music.’ Listening to him play, one enters an inner dream where the incredible fluidity of his interpretation is matched by its great intensity, where the precision of touch, like a musical lace free of dryness, is accompanied by sonorous amplitude and a sense of movement. One enters a state of weightlessness—following, as if suspended, by the whims of the wind blown by the performer. A young man already laden with awards Kiron Atom Tellian, born in Vienna, began studying piano at the University for Music and Performing Arts of the Austrian capital at seven and made early debuts with an orchestra when he was nine. A student at the Julliard School under Armenian-born pianist Sergei Babayan while completing his bachelor's degree, he received the Kovner Fellowship which, among other things, covers the cost of his entire education. A winner of numerous international awards in piano, chamber music, and composition, he won the first prize and the Haydn Prize at the 17th International Piano Competition in Ettlingen, Germany, the Grand Prix, and special prizes at the X. Savshinsky Music Competition in Saint Petersburg, as well as the first three prizes, in three different categories, at the 5th International Bach Rosalyn Tureck Competition in New York. At the International Chopin Competition in Nashville, he won the Alexei Sultanov Memorial Discovery Grand Prize, as well as the prizes for best mazurka and best etude. He is among those we would love to see evolve...

  Finalist Kiron Atom Tellian, a 21-year-old from Austria, played with an incredible combination of sensitivity and taste. His Saturday performance was delicate and gentle, as he touched the keys with tender flutters and extreme precision. [...] The grand prize for the competition, the $20,000 Alexei Sultanov Memorial Discovery Prize, went to contestant Kiron Atom Tellian. Tellian, a sophomore at The Juilliard School in New York City, told The Tennessean, "I am unbelievably overwhelmed. This is such an incredible privilege and honor to receive such an award." Tellian has been almost exclusively studying the works of Chopin for the past year. Tellian said, "[Chopin's] works are profound in the deepest way, and moving, that there's always more to explore. I think you can spend multiple lifetimes with his music and still not possibly reach the bottom of what he expressed in his writing."

Nonetheless, Tellian’s fingers flew about the keyboard, perfectly depicting the weightless elegance of the waltz, but also thunderous, emphatic and almost explosive exclamations, which alltogether made for an easily understood and highly successful interpretation. [...] An extraordinary opportunity for Tellian to get lost in fluid, crystallized and sensitively emotional colors. But only to finally - suddenly - jump into an agitated and dramatic tempo, all the while not getting carried away, but carefully and thoughtfully phrasing each note. [...] Highlight of the evening was Franz Schubert’s “Wanderer Fantasy”: starting with a concise theme, impressfully presented by Tellian, to culminate in a ferocious finale which was rewarded with standing ovations by the audience.

The pianist Kiron Atom Tellian is sitting at the black Steinway grand piano. Playing the violin: Emmanuel Tjeknavorian. [...] And although the 19 year-old Kiron Atom Tellian stepped in to play this concert only a couple of days ago, the two musicians give an impression of having played together for decades. [...] They concluded the evening’s concert with the Rondo Brillant by Franz Schubert. Devilish, virtuoso and simply: brilliant.

  [...] in category A Maria Eydman and in category B Kiron Atom Tellian emerged winners of the competition. The two pianists recently gave a prize-winner’s concert in the Asamsaal of Schloss Ettlingen - and the bravura and maturity of their artistry renders speechless. Once, highly technically demanding masterworks like Ravel’s “La Valse” or even his “Gaspard de la nuit” were only performed rarely. Here one can clearly notice the incredible confidence, security and technical abilities that these two prize-winners have reached despite their young age. [...] or Tellian’s convincing rendition of Ravel’s “Gaspard de la nuit” - probably one of the most difficult works for piano overall - or his captivating and inspired performance of Chopin’s third piano sonata - one can only listen, enjoy and wish these young artists all the best for their future.

  If one mentions the name Emmanuel Tjeknavorian (Violin) - Jeremias Fliedl (Violoncello) and Kiron Atom Tellian (Piano) should also be mentioned, as their performances are undoubtedly equal. [...] a trimphant finale: Tchaikovsky's "À la mémoire d'un grand artiste". After the pezzo elegiaco, moderato assai and allegro giusto followed. But what an allegro giusto! Their riveting performance was met with an incredibly long applause by the exuberant audience. There was no encore, this kind of emotional ending can not be improved upon.

  Kiron Atom Tellian, which presented the breath-taking finale of the evening’s concert - with a fulminant rendition of the first and last movement of Chopin’s third piano sonata. His ability to play with incredibly nuanced colors and feelings, to connect virtuosity and intimate sensitivity, explosive drama, longing and singing melodies was extraordinary.

  Moving on to larger Bach works, we heard selections from the French Suite in G major, BWV 816, played by Kiron Atom Tellian, age fourteen from Vienna, Austria (and also awarded in two repertoire categories). A student of Alma Sauer at the “highly gifted” program of the University for Music and Dramatic Art, he pairs piano with studies in composition, perhaps a source of the heightened thoughtfulness in his playing. He was one of the day’s most interesting musicians, with an individual style that brought to mind some of the earlier Bach performances of Ivo Pogorelich. His Allemande, Courante and Sarabande all had an expressiveness one most associates with Romanticism (as many felt about Rosalyn Tureck’s playing), and he played with a judicious use of agogics, some receding dynamics at climaxes, and some staggering of left and right hands at poignant harmonic points and trills. His Gigue was by contrast quite metrically straightforward, but a delight in its extremely fast and even execution, without losing the slightest detail. One looks forward to hearing this young man play again.

 Kiron Atom Tellian is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most talented pianists from Austria.

  [...] experienced with countless and beautiful compositional techniques.