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May 17--Giselle Brodsky, artistic director of the Miami International Piano Festival, insists that the series' "Concerto Night" is an enormous boon, bringing in audiences who then attend the solo recitals as well.
How much crossover actually exists remains unclear since the festival's solo events, while doing better, still lag in filling seats. But it's undeniable that the concerto programs are attracting greater numbers, as was the case for the all-Beethoven finale Sunday night at the Lincoln Theatre.
The growing attendance is surely a heartening sign, and the festival is fortunate to have the fine young conductor William Noll manning the podium for these events. Yet artistically the rewards proved decidedly mixed for this year's closing concert.
The good news is that Ingrid Fliter's performance of Beethoven's mighty Emperor Concerto proved nearly as compelling as her recital 48 hours earlier. If there was nothing quite as revelatory as her extraordinary Chopin playing on Friday, the Argentinean pianist's commanding technique and exuberant personality invested this warhorse with natural lyric poetry and the fire of youth.
From her majestic opening flourish, Fliter offered a near-ideal blend of sensitivity and impassioned drama, illuminating familiar passages with a change in tonal colors or subtle shading. Her legato in the Andante seemed as natural as breathing, and it was exhilarating to hear the whirling Rondo performed with such vitality and enthusiasm. There were a few minor slips, but not enough to detract from the excellent whole.
The light string numbers in the Miami International Piano Festival Orchestra sacrificed a certain amount of weight, yet Noll's refined and sensitive direction drew comparably energized playing from the orchestra members, who were clearly sparked to their best by the dynamic young soloist.
That was not the case in the first half, with an early entrance, repeated horn mishaps and sour bassoon tuning. In Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, Boris Giltburg displayed the stainless-steel technique and unruffled professionalism with which he opened the festival on Thursday. The Russian-born Israeli was at his best in the final movement, with plenty of brilliance and forward momentum.
Yet for much of what preceded it, those hoping for some depth of expression or individuality would listen in vain. His technical arsenal is even more airtight than Fliter's, but Giltburg's mechanical efficiency was so colorless it was hard to believe the two artists were performing on the same Steinway. There was little intimacy or engagement, even in the rapt slow movement, where his measured phrasing showed that slow doesn't automatically equal deep.
The evening began with a taut, dramatic reading of Beethoven's Coriolan Overture. Valeriy Sokolov, who performed a recital the previous evening, also made a brief appearance in Beethoven's Romance in F major.
The 17-year old violinist played with a sweet tone and seamless flickering vibrato. Yet there were some awkward transitions and enough errant intonation to make one wonder what in the world the festival was thinking with all its heavy-breathing "genius" advance publicity.
Lawrence A. Johnson can be reached at ljohnson@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4708.
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