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Last update - 08:31 26/03/2008 Rubinstein Piano Competition / The heat that shuffled the deck By Haggai Hitron, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Rubenstein, piano The three contestants who on Tuesday reached the finals of the Rubinstein Piano Competition were Georgia's Khatia Buniatishvili, Israel's Roman Rabinovich and Taiwan's Hu Ching Yun. They played concerti by Mozart and Beethoven. Divulging some inside information, the competition chairman and head of jury Arie Vardi said: "How do I decide who goes on to the next stage?" "I ask myself at the end of every stage a single question: whether I wish to listen to this contender in the next stage or not. This is my criteria," he said. Advertisement If one judges the six contestants according to this criteria, the picture gets clearer indeed. On Monday and Tuesday the contestants played for the first time in Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium, and were received like footballers coming out of their locker rooms ? flowers, camera flashes, and a standing ovation. The auditorium, which usually suffers from poor lighting, was beautifully lit. Part of the dilemma whether one wants the contestant to go on to the next stage depends on the repertoire. Contestant Irina Zahharenkova, for instance, chose Chopin's Concerto No. 2. Based on her interpretation of the slow movement of Mozart's Concerto no. 23, a tender and unconventionally expressive performance which attempted to transcended plain technique, her interpretation of Chopin is likely to be more skillful and interesting. 20-year-old Khatia Buniatishvili can and should be excused for Monday's interpretation of Mozart, and start over. The occasional brightness that emerged from it, and her congenial personality, are sufficient qualifications for the finals; so much so considering her choice to play Brahms, who differs from Mozart a great deal in style and emotion. But most of all, Buniatishvili has become the favorite of many of her listeners. As for the other two contestants that remain, Roman Rabinovich was the only one who was really moving, with his gentle yet beautiful sound. The one participant that no one feels like hearing at this stage any more, is conductor Uri Segal and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. Listening to Segal lead the solos was a nerve wracking experience as it sounded as if the musicians were walking on thin ice: Will they fall due to the incorrect balance? Can they get passed the missed entries, unstable tempo and lack of rhythm? While Segal does manage to sustain eye contact and encourage the orchestra, his encouragement is more emotional than professional. At least he hinted with his improved work during the Beethoven symphonies that things are looking up for the next stage, as the orchestra has stopped playing the Mozart pieces which they performed so badly Related articles: Rubinstein Piano Competition / A truly impressive artist Rubinstein Piano Competition / A perfect Haydn in stage II Bookmark to del.icio.us   Love story Israel permits gay Palestinian to join his lover in Tel Aviv. Interfaith get-together Saudi King plans first interfaith conference to include Jews.   1.   I am glad you (Haggai) finally liked Roman Rabinovich 09:07  |  S 26/03/08

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