| In recent seasons
the concert scene has been dominated by pianists who are winners
of international competitions. While many of these musicians
are undeniably talented, there is a generic sameness to many
keyboard artists – cold brilliance and a propensity
for thunderous power over subtlety. Six years ago the Miami
International Piano Festival was founded with an ambitious
agenda. Its mission was to discover and nurture young musicians
with individual voices who put a premium on musicality over
flashy effects. This July the Miami festival will take its’
act on the road to Lecce, Italy for a nine day series of performances.
The Miami Piano Festival presented its Master Series on March
6-9 at Ft. Lauderdale’s Amaturo Theater – a tantalizing
preview of the coming international engagement.
For four consecutive nights this piano feast
struck musical gold. For sheer variety of repertoire and audacious
projects, Italian pianist Emanuele Arciuli dominated this
concert series. On opening night he offered a rare performance
of Robert Schumann’s “Sonata in F Minor”
(“Concerto Sans Orchestre”). Few pianists dare
to perform this demanding score because of its technical difficulty.
The score combines tender lyricism with powerful writing that
tests the limits of the keyboard instrument. The music is
often orchestral in scope. Arciuli produced a rich palette
of sonorities and a myriad variety of tonal coloration. Every
note was highly expressive yet beautifully proportioned as
part of a broader musical canvas. The second movement Quasi
Variazioni: Andantino di Clara Wieck was filled with subtle
nuances and highly individual phrasing. The performer was
as much a creative force as the composer.
For the closing night program, Arciuli offered
his “Homage to Thelonious Monk” – a series
of variations on the jazz composition “Round Midnight”
(Monk’s most famous work). This highly original and
ambitious project consists of 31 variations on Monk’s
theme by 21 composers. It was commissioned by the Cincinnati
College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati
where Arciuli is a Guest Faculty member. The centerpiece is
“Eine Kleine Mitternacht Musik”-“Rumination
on Monk’s Theme” by the octogenarian composer
George Crumb. This set of nine variations is an evocative,
often haunting work. Ever the creative original, Crumb has
the pianist strike the piano strings with a mallet and remove
the cover to allow the strings to produce echo effects after
notes are struck. There is a witty cakewalk movement with
quotes from Wagner and Strauss. The often soft music is mesmerizing
– a reverie in twilight. The score expands the range
of effects and sonorities of the keyboard instrument. The
technical requirements of Crumb’s music are fearsome,
but not for Arciuli. He gave a sensitive, thoughtful, and
brilliant performance. On first hearing this score appears
to be a masterpiece. Arciuli was the perfect advocate for
this highly original, demanding work. Among the other variations,
John Harbison offered a beautiful, lyrical nocturne. Michael
Torke provided a rock inflected update of Bach. Carlo Boccadero
wrote three charming diversions. Michael Daugherty offered
a musical romp that tested the limits of the pianist’s
virtuosity. Joel Hoffman’s concluding Cadenza e Finale
offered a jazzy daredevil fest that was worthy of Monk. These
variations tested the capabilities of the instrument at every
turn. For Arciuli technique was a given. He met every virtuoso
demand and performed the entire cycle with enthusiasm and
absolute command of the keyboard. Arciuli joined Russian born
pianist Ilya Itin in a delightful duo-piano version of tangos
by Enrico Bormioli. Two movements from Samuel Barber’s
“Souvenirs” were brilliantly articulated and seemed
to dance off the keyboards.
Itin was a commanding virtuoso. His performance
of Prokofiev’s “Sonata No.6,” Opus 82 was
remarkable. This dark, angry wartime sonata is as timely today
as when it was written. The composer has the pianist strike
the keys with his fist to portray the ugliness and brutality
of war. Itin produced an orchestral sonority from his instrument.
He played the rapid fire passagework of the concluding Vivace
with agility and fiery intensity. In his hands the Tempo di
valzer lentissimo had a yearning sadness and eloquence –
a memorable performance. Itin was a powerful presence in a
truly great performance of Tchaikovsky’s “Piano
Trio in A Minor,” Opus 50. Here he was joined by Florida
Philharmonic concertmaster Igor Gruppman and cellist Mark
Kosower (who gave a brilliant performance of a Saint-Saens
concerto with the FPO last season). While this beautiful score
has been played many times in South Florida, this highly charged
performance was in a class by itself. The three artists brought
passion and soaring intensity to this deeply Russian, emotional
work. Gruppman’s glorious tone and patrician phrasing
were matched by Kosower’s glowing cello sound and Itin’s
deeply felt shaping of the piano line. Rarely has the opening
Pezzo Elegiaco sounded so poignant and wistful. The concluding
variations were both dazzling and elegant. Here were three
great artists who played with all their heart and soul –
a great musical experience! Gruppman and Kosower were joined
by pianist Adam Neiman for a rare performance of Rachmaninoff’s
“Piano Trio in G Minor” (“Trio Elegiaque”).
This music was written when the composer was only 19 years
old, yet all the elements of Rachmaninoff’s mature style
are present. This melodious, brooding, and intense work was
given a beautiful performance.
Neiman was highly impressive in a solo recital.
His program was highly demanding and he met every challenge
and then some. His performance of Bach’s “English
Suite No.2 in A Minor” was lively and precise. His rhythms
were springy and dance-like and his phrasing was always elegant.
How wonderful to hear Bach played with such imagination on
a modern piano! Chopin’s “Rondo a la Mazurka,”
Opus 5 was played with charm and Gallic style. His subtle
use of rubato was wonderfully idiomatic. His version of the
“Ballade in F Minor,” No.4, Opus 52 was slightly
melodramatic (like John Barymore reciting Shakespeare), but
always musical and brilliantly played. Schumann’s demanding
“Symphonic Etudes,” Opus 13 was Neiman’s
real trump card. His pianistic technique is magnificent. His
thunderous octaves rang the hall, but there was also a kaleidoscopic
range of colors and lyrical beauty in his performance. His
ability to sustain a grand line is impressive. His playing
was titanic, introspective, sweeping, grand, and always highly
expressive. As an encore he offered a delightfully quirky
transcription of Kreisler’s “Liebesfreud.”
Neiman’s future appearances should be special. He is
an artist with wonderfully original musical ideas.
FIU faculty member Kemal Gekic joined Gruppman,
Kosower, and violist and filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon for a
beautifully proportioned rendering of Mozart’s “Piano
Quartet in E-Flat Major,” K.493. This lovely work was
played with warmth and a lovely tonal sheen. The concluding
Allegretto had an almost balletic lilt. It was great to hear
this music played without period instrument anachronisms.
Monsaingeon, an excellent violist, also offered an eloquently
phrased transcription of a Bach chorale. Gruppman was partnered
by his wife Vesna Gruppman in a terrific performance of the
“Suite for Two Violins and Piano in G Minor” by
Maurice Moszkowski. This melodic score is a real gem. It requires
the ultimate in violinistic brilliance and the Gruppmans had
that and more. The Allegro moderato was all charm and grace.
The Lento assai was gorgeous in its golden burnished tonal
hues. In the Allegro vivace, the Gruppmans let everything
go in a cascade of virtuoso brilliance. The difficult piano
part was superbly articulated by Kekic. A dazzling performance!
Some of the most memorable concerts in recent
seasons have been presented by the Miami International Piano
Festival. The Master Series was its’ most ambitious
offering yet and it did not disappoint. The superb music making
and unique programming set an artistic high water mark for
South Florida’s concert life. A festival and a feat
of great music!
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