Chopin with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Stepping in as a last minute replacement for Fabio Bidini, Maxim was thrilled to reunite with JoAnn Falletta to play Chopin 1 with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra at Kleinhans Music Hall on October 3 and 4, 2025.
“a nuanced note-perfect performance” - Media Room’s Frank Housh
“Yet another Gen Z Piano Phenom? This weekend Maxim Lando Dazzles BPO Audience” - Buffalo Rising, Peter Hall
“This weekend, as the originally scheduled pianist Fabio Bidini recovers from an injury, the BPO continued its tradition of bringing in phenomenal substitutes. This time it was 22-year-old American pianist Maxim Lando (born October 5, 2002, in Manhasset, Long Island, NY).
Lando knows what audiences want. We want exceptionally clean runs up and down the keyboard, where each note is distinct. We want quiet (“piano” in Italian) passages, where each note hovers in perfect stillness, and we want the loud (“forte” in Italian) passages to develop a “wall of sound.”
I’m not sure what Bartolomeo Cristofori envisioned in the future when, in 1700, he invented the gravicembalo col piano e forte (“harpsichord with soft and loud”) but if there’s a heaven, I’m sure he was listening to this concert and telling the other angels “Ecco! Ecco!” (Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!).
I must confess that I prefer the Larghetto (the slow middle movement) of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Still, then, of Chopin’s two, I prefer the exciting “Krakowiak” rondo of the Piano Concerto No. 1, which is on this program. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the orchestration is quite light. It’s more supportive, rather than symphonically rich, with the orchestra serving more as an accompaniment than a full partner to the piano. But do listen for the occasional single woodwind instrument playing in harmony with the piano. Those are moments of pure transcendence, where the piano is supported by a single French horn, then a bassoon, at other times a single flute, and at other times a single clarinet. Wow.
I also heard what I’ll call “bel canto” in the piano writing. Rossini wrote operas in the “bel canto” (beautiful singing) style, where sopranos rarely go simply from note to note. Instead, there’s always a little figure in between the notes, and I never really appreciated until this concert how Chopin does the same thing. It’s delightful.
After the concert, an audience member came up to me and said “You’ve GOT to tell your readers that they’ve GOT to hear this kid.” And so I will: For an exceptional concert experience, you’ve GOT to get to Kleinhans this Saturday night.”
As an encore this weekend, to the audience’s and especially the orchestra musicians’ delight, he played his own “Paraphrase on Shostakovich’s Waltz from his Jazz Suite.” Lando is known for being quite eclectic, playing with genre-stretching musicians such as Lang Lang, violinist Daniel Hope, and the Danish String Quartet. His “waltz” was absolutely wild and I only hope that he plays it again this Saturday night”.