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Giselle Brodsky's third annual gathering of brilliant young
pianists at the Lincoln Theatre, the Miami Festival of Discovery,
was a true voyage of discovery. After Freddy Kempf's mildly
disillusioning recital and young Denis Burstein's astonishing
one, there was much rewarding playing and exploration of fascinating
repertory. Highlights: Ilya Itin's probingly tender Schubert
Sonata in B flat, meltingly lovely in luminous tone; and deeply
nostalgic Rachmaninoff Preludes, though marred by balky fingers...Piotr
Anderszewski's translucent Bach sixth English Suite, his craggy,
turbulent Janacek Sonata, urbane Szymanowski mazurkas and
welcome Bartok Bagatelles - all immaculately polished but
oddly self-absorbed and detached... Also, a whole Bach Suite
as an encore...Gimme a break... Kemal Gekic, at the pinnacle
of his power, playing Scarlatti with such crystalline clarity
its lilliputian bells and horns had the sound of magic ...
His imperious, explosive Rachmaninoff First Sonata, passionate
Schumann, spectacularly glittering Rossini - Paganini - Liszt,
and showpiece variations-to-end-all-variations on Mozart's
Figaro ... A master of tone production and chordal weighting
...Italy's Francesco Libetta, possessor of phenomenal dexterity,
who tossed of Ravel'' La Valse with effortless ease and tore
through ferocious Chopin -Godowsky Etudes with a foaming velocity
that was breathtaking. Absent: voluminous depth of tone, sparkling
clarity, and stunning power.
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