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The Miami Festival of Discovery lived up to its billing -
well, almost; it was actually held in Miami Beach. Otherwise,
it was very much a discovery, and an important one.
Presented by the newly formed Patrons of Exceptional Artists,
in cooperation with Community Concerts, the three - day session
was devoted to young pianists.
In addition to daily master classes and lectures, there were
three evenings of recitals at the Lincoln Theatre. Two were
the pianists new to South Florida - Konstantin Lifschitz,
a 21-year-old Ukrainian, and Boris Berezovsky, a 28-year-old
Russian. Both have made exceptional recordings, but hearing
them in person provided more starling affirmation that they
rank among the most prodigiously gifted keyboard artists on
the scene today.
A third participant, Venezuelan-born Gabriela Montero, 27,
did some of her studies in Miami and has concertized locally
over the years, but her playing had its revelatory element,
too.
Lifschitz made by far the most astonishing impression. It
was not just because of his sterling technique, but also because
of a quality in his playing that can only be called spiritual.
Maybe once in a generation does a pianist emerge who gets
as far into the soul of a composition as this young man does.
On Friday evening, he offered a supremely sensitive account
of Schubert's Sonata, Op. 122, spinning out phrases with exquisite
tonal coloring. The quirky world of Beethoven's Bagatelles,
Op. 119, which contain some of the same surprises as his late
sonatas, was brilliantly explored. The pieces were given terrific
spontaneity and nuance by Lifschitz. He also brought plenty
of force, but even more poetry, to a group of Rachmaninoff
Preludes, and delivered Chopin's Sonata No. 3 with arresting
freshness, passion and prismatic brilliance (the Scherzo quite
literally sparkled).
Four encores revealed still more of the pianist's musical
depth, especially an arresting rapturously phrased transcription
(presumably his own) of Berlioz' Le spectre de la rose. Lifschitz
is a marvel. We would be fortunate indeed to have him back
again soon.
Berezovsky, too, would be a welcome return visitor. In term
of sheer dexterity and muscle power, his all-Russian recital
Saturday evening was a knockout. He tore through Balakirev's
Islamey, one of the most difficult pieces in the entire keyboard
repertoire, with astonishing speed, clarity and color. A selection
of Fairy Tales by Nikolai Medtner offered Berezovsky even
greater opportunities to demonstrate his keen ability to match
bravura with subtlety. Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain
could have used more of that subtlety, but was highly effective
nonetheless.
Montero's recital on Thursday evening was somewhat overshadowed
by the grand scale of Berezovsky's virtuosity, the sublimity
of Lifschitz. Still, she gave evidence of solid technical
skills and mature, persuasive phrasing, particularly in picturesque
pieces by Albeniz and Granados. Her approach to Chopin was
also polished, marked by rhythmic flexibility and lyrical
grace.
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