| The Master Series of the Miami
International Piano Festival continued Friday evening with
an extraordinary recital by Juilliard graduate Adam Neiman.
The Broward Center's Amaturo Theater was hardly filled to
capacity, but those present cheered lustily and appreciatively
for the mature talents of this young man.
Opening with Bach's English Suite No. 2 in A minor, Neiman
immediately established his technical abilities and his thoughtful,
romantic approach to music. While clearly not playing for
the Bach purist, his nuanced, emotive approach made for a
far more interesting traversal of these dance movements than
usual. Nothing was mechanical, and if Bach came across as
a passionate yet subtle soul, it was a perfectly valid interpretation,
beautifully executed.
Chopin's Rondo a la Mazur is designed to entertain and capture
an audience with its scintillating brilliance. Once again,
Neiman caught every shading, handling rubato as if to the
manner born. This early work is a world apart from the masterly
fourth Ballade in F minor. This, the greatest of the four
Ballades, is an adventure in sonority that shows the composer
at the peak of his genius. Neiman, always willing to take
chances, brought his tone down to a whisper at times and exploded
with almost brutal force during the final moments.
Gabriel Faure's piano output is much admired by connoisseurs
but little played in the concert hall these days. In choosing
the fourth of his Nocturnes, Neiman met this master of modulation
at his most typical and delivered a performance of refined
sensitivity. His delicate touch spun a tapestry of golden
sound.
The Symphonic Etudes by Robert Schumann is a big work, rendered
bigger in this performance by the inclusion of the posthumous
variations the composer had trimmed from the set. Neiman gave
a moving performance with plenty of power and sweep. With
everything perfectly in place and nothing seeming calculated,
he achieved what many artists can only hope for.
Alan Becker is a Fort Lauderdale-based freelance writer.
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