Last update - 00:00 13/03/2008
Unremarkable night salvaged by Israeli's rendition of Schubert
By Haggai Hitron, Haaretz Correspondent
Does a competitor's choosing of a specific program bear any influence on the judges at the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition? Consider the Korean pianist, Kim Sangyoung, who performed "By the Beautiful Blue Danube" on Wednesday right after her rendition of Liszt's "La Campanella," an uninspired pairing that somewhat resembles a bread wrapped in a pita. This choice speaks to her taste.
The second contestant, Rem Urasin of Moscow, strived to project an especially "deep" message, yet the result was boredom. The mazurkas of Chopin proved heavy and artificial, the antithesis of the Rubinstein approach, of which I was reminded while in the vestibule of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The museum was screening footage of Rubinstein leading a class in 1979 at the "Mishkenot Sha'ananim" in Jerusalem.
It is worthwhile to stop and observe the old craftsman in action, demanding "simplicity" and emphasizing articulative rendition that needed to stem from genuine, internal emotion. For him and for musicians that managed to connect with him, such comprehensive instructions contained meaning.
The second Korean who took part in the day's competition, Cheung Jae Won, turned in a beautiful performance of Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit."
Dmitri Levkovich, a Kiev native who settled in Canada following a short stay in Israel, was the next performer. Levkovich is blessed with a radiant physical appearance, confident craftsmanship, and a pleasant sound. Nonetheless, his interpretations of Chopin and Haydn failed to arouse interest.
The saving grace of the evening was provided by the Israeli contestant, Michael Namirovsky, whose rendition of Schubert's Sonata in C minor (just hearing it in the competition left me overjoyed, caressing my earlobes). Namirovsky was reasonably successful in handling a problematic piece that demands both lyrical and technical piano playing. For my taste, his execution at times impressed from a "musical" standpoint but the sound suffered from a lack of clarity and an unjustifiable grayness. It even appeared that Namirovsky was not comfortably from a technical perspective.
At the event's conclusion, the New Zealander John Chen's rendition of Mozart's Sonata No. 9 in D major was fair, but nothing more. The piece was presented in a way that projected a lack of empathy and enthusiasm by the musician. What odd taste.