MUSIC REVIEW: Horowitz competition winners in New York (04/19/98)

MUSIC REVIEW: Horowitz competition winners in New York

by Oles Kuzyszyn

NEW YORK - Seven young winners of the first (1995) and second (1997) International Competition for Young Pianists (ICYP) in memory of Vladimir Horowitz showcased their talents in a program of virtuoso piano repertoire on Thursday, April 9 at New York's Weill Recital Hall.

The competition itself is a joint project of several cultural and civic organizations headquartered in Ukraine's capital and the University of Cincinnati/College-Conservatory of Music, which runs the American portion of the competition.

The choice of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz as the inspiration for the competition is a tribute. Two generations of the Horowitz family received their musical education at the Kyiv College of Music. Vladimir Horowitz, born in 1903 in Kyiv, attended the Kyiv College of Music and graduated from the Kyiv Conservatory in 1921.

Thus, in tribute to the great artist, the Gliere Kyiv State Music College, the Kyiv Municipal Administration, the Ukrainian Ministry of Art and Culture, and the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine co-sponsor the ICYP. Ivan Karabyts, one of Ukraine's leading composers, serves as head of the jury, and is responsible for galvanizing the support and cooperation of the University of Cincinnati.

Sixteen-year-old Oleksii Yemtsov, one of the winners hailing from Ukraine, opened the program with a highly imaginative interpretation of Chopin's G-minor Ballade, employing some rather extreme fluctuations in tempo and dynamics, all, nevertheless, exquisitely executed with an impressive degree of control.

Twenty-two-year-old Israeli Shai Cohen showed a maturity well beyond his years in his studied, intelligent reading of Liszt's B-minor Ballade, although at times a larger, less suble tone would have served him even better.

In stark contrast, 19-year-old Japan native Kazumatsa Matsumoto undertook a no-holds-barred approach to his Liszt offering ("Après une Lecture de Dante"), generating a power and sonic brilliance that belied his slight build and stature.

The youngest performer, 12-year-old Risa Hinoue, also from Japan, charmed the audience with her natural flair, rendering three excepts from Schumann's "Fantasiestucke," Op. 12 with poise and resolve.

Ukrainian Viacheslav Zubkov, 22 tackled three daunting Rachmaninoff preludes, playing passionately and expressively, the occasional "clinker" notwithstanding.

Twenty-year-old American Brian Wallick chose "Gargoyles," a challenging work by noted American composer Lowell Liebermann, and exhibited not only a considerable technique, but even more so, a relaxed and confident stage demeanor.

Nineteen-year-old Oleksii Koltakov closed the program with a dazzling performance of Horowitz's famous transcription of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, followed by another favorite Horowitz transcription, that of Sousa's "Stars and Stripes," performed as an encore.

What is even more remarkable is the fact that these transcriptions have never been published and, in order to perform them, Mr. Koltakov had to take them down from the original Horowitz recordings. Despite his young age, this is clearly a stage-ready performer and a wonderful all-around musician whose potential is limitless. Furthermore, his uncanny resemblance to the young Horowitz, complete with the late pianist's mannerisms and demeanor, was absolutely eerie.

This concert was the fourth stop on a mini-tour of these ICYP winners, preceded by performances in Chicago, Columbus and Cincinnati. The final concert took place on April 12 in Cambridge, Mass. The impact and benefit of this still-young project is already apparent and potentially fair-reaching, both as a career opportunity for some very talented young musicians, and as favorable publicity for Ukraine's capital and its musical heritage.

The participation of a large and highly regarded music conservatory such as the one at the University of Cincinnati, and the interest that the contestants themselves spark in their native countries (already evident in Japan and Israel) is extremely valuable.

The related projects have already spun off the momentum generated by the competition. With the participation of the University of Cincinnati, a sheet music collection titled "Music Without Borders" has been published by Duma Music. The folio contains challenging piano works by six Ukrainian and six American composers, which serve as recommended repertoire for future contestants in the Horowitz competition.

Secondly, competition winners Messrs. Yemtsov and Koltakov have recently recorded Mr. Karabyts 24 Preludes for Piano. The CD was released and is distributed internationally by the California-based Troppe Note/Cambria label. Finally, these same 24 Preludes have just been published in print by Duma Music.

One hopes that some, if not all, of these gifted young artists will succeed in embarking upon prominent careers as professional pianists. And, if one day a true star is born from this group, there is no doubt that his or her participation in the ICYP will be prominently featured in the resume.