02/02/1998
The
Register-Guard, USA
RUSSIAN
PIANIST Yuri Rozum prefers to let his playing do the talking - and what his
fingers did Saturday night spoke volumes about strength, love, passion,
spirituality, insight, meditation and warmth.
Here was a performance of astonishing beauty that
proved Rozum is the genuine article, the real deal, the master of musicality.
Rozum was back in Eugene for another appearance with
the Oregon Mozart Players at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. By now,
the two are quite familiar with each other, and their easy rapport generated a
spectacular performance.
At hand was Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 19
- an emotional, passionate piece requiring technique of astonishing complexity
that Rozum turned into a personal statement.
Although only two weeks have passed since undergoing
an operation in Germany, Rozum’s playing showed no effects of the pain that was
obvious in his demeanor.
In fact, his physical difficulties may have had a
positive impact in his interpretation, for he seemed far more introspective
than before.
Previously, Rozum had been eager to impress. Steeped
in the showy Russian style, he flew up and down the keyboard at breakneck
speeds while whipping up a tornado of sound that dazzled the listener.
But this time, Rozum was different.
This time, Rozum was concerned foremost with
Beethoven.
And what a performance - the orchestra providing
just the right supple support for Rozum’s glittering theatrics, and Rozum
deeply involved in exploring the concerto by wallowing in its melancholy and
exploding with its joviality.
Make no mistake, Rozum was the star. He made it look
so easy while hammering the accents, ripping off the arpeggios and grabbing
handfuls of notes.
Impressive though his technique was, he used it to
convey what was in his heart, and Beethoven’s mind.
Often, the simplest phrase, gorgeously struck,
appealed the most.
Rozum’s annual appearance with the Oregon Mozart
Players is always a cause for celebration. He is Eugene’s favorite pianist, and
capacity crowds clamor to hear him play. The attention he gets is richly
deserved.
(…) in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No, 2 (…) the
orchestra provided robust accompaniment for Rozum, Polivnick set the orchestra
in a graceful dance with the pianist that resulted, as noted earlier, in a
spectacular show.
Fred
Crafts is The
Register-Guard’s Critic-at-Large.