MUSIC REVIEW McCawley's rare artistry lifts Miami Piano Festival By Alan Becker Special Correspondent May 17, 2005 English pianist Leon McCawley achieved international prominence in 1993 when he won first prize in the Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and second prize at the Leeds Competition. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout England, and with the Dallas and Minnesota orchestras in the U.S. On Saturday the Miami International Piano Festival afforded local audiences the opportunity of assessing this artist at the Lincoln Theatre in Miami Beach. McCawley's appearance as part of the Discovery Series conjured up memories of the late pianist Clifford Curzon. Instead of trying to knock us over the head with his admirable technique, McCawley -- like Curzon -- concentrated on the musical values of his program and accomplished what many pianists strive for but few have the musicianship to achieve. Mozart was represented by both his Fantasy in C minor, K. 475, and his Sonata K. 457 in the same key. Each was lovingly phrased and presented a range of dynamics that demonstrated McCawley's total comfort with the music. The 13 childhood memories that inspired Schumann's beloved Kinderscenen have a refined lyricism, and here McCawley's attention to phrasing made for a ravishing experience. Even in the faster passages his control held things fully in check, and his immaculate pedaling enabled the music to speak without blurring. Four sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti were well chosen and deftly contrasted. McCawley's freshness and crispness of execution helped to erase any thoughts of the harpsichord for which they were originally composed. If without the heart-on-sleeve lyricism typical of Rachmaninoff, his rarely performed Variations on a Theme of Corelli present plenty of opportunity for pianists to flex their muscles. McCawley rose to the challenge and delivered torrents of sound to contrast with the refinement of the rest of his program. Yet nothing was pushed, and nothing fell below the high threshold of taste and good judgment. Alan Becker is a Davie-based freelance writer.

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