Date: Fri 10-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DONNAM

Quick Words:

Berman-pianist-NFoM

Full Text:

(rev Boris Berman @NFoM/Edmond Town Hall, 10/10/97)

A Pianist As Instructor, In NFoM Season Opener

(with photo)

B Y J UNE A PRIL

Renown as one of the finest pianists performing today, Boris Berman played a

challenging and stimulating concert for the opening presentation of the

Newtown Friends of Music last Sunday afternoon.

Selecting a performer of such excellence is a perfect choice to commemorate

and celebrate this organization and its goals. Continuing its 20-year

tradition of presenting excellent music on a local level, the NFoM-sponsored

concert was presented in the auditorium of Newtown's Edmond Town Hall.

Opening the October 5 program with a work by Beethoven ( Six Variations on an

Original Theme in F Major, Opus 34 ), the audience was immediately aware why

this gentleman is so highly regarded. The clarity and exacting technique that

exemplifies many of the Russian-trained pianists is pleasingly evident in Mr

Berman's performances.

Beginning his piano studies at age 7, Boris Berman went on to study at the

Moscow Conservatory with Lev Oborin. Presently as head of the piano department

at the Yale School of Music, Mr Berman balances his life between concertizing

around the globe and teaching/administrative responsibilities. (As case in

point, Mr Berman returned to New Haven to perform the same concert on Monday

night, after performing the previous afternoon in Newtown.)

He is not a dramatic artist, for there is a sparseness in his movements, but

Boris Berman is a passionate pianist whose love of music - and his instrument

- is of pure joy and commitment. There is a particular enthusiasm for

Twentieth Century composers, particularly Prokofiev. In fact, Mr Berman was

the first musician to record the Soviet composer's complete piano solos.

Be it Claude Debussy's "Preludes, Book I," or Prokofiev, or Beethoven, the

nuances are not sentimentalized. There is a refreshing directness to his

technique that translates and transmits to the audience the composer's intent,

combined with the artist's skillful talent.

The clarity of each note, no matter how pianissimo , was evident even in the

last row of the balcony on Sunday. Judicious and effective pedal use was

impressive.

With Debussy, one might be overzealous with the overlap of tones. But a

delicate and pleasing balance rendered the impressionistic composer's

masterpiece tonally transparent, not at all murky. The Steinway piano on which

Mr Berman played heightened the quality of the afternoon's music.

Making A Difference

Expressing a concern for the dwindling numbers of audience and the future of

the arts, Mr Berman privately spoke of approaches to encourage interest and

support from younger generations following his performance.

"I see the same situation elsewhere in the world," Mr Berman sadly observed,

"but it is often worse in the United States." He went on to state that he felt

a most effective approach would be through music education programs in

schools. "If the students were exposed to music and taught how to listen to

music, and encouraged by their parents to develop an interest, it could help

secure the continuation of musical traditions."

When asked about educating people to appreciate "modern" music, Mr Berman said

he felt it was actually easier to have a person without a music background

understand contemporary works, that there were no preconceptions to dispel.

"I think performer or teacher should reach out to students and audiences, not

reach down," Mr Berman continued. He emphasized the important role parents

play in instilling a love to learn and a passion for music.

If one has the desire and determination to pursue a career in music, Mr Berman

indicated, they do not have to go to the "traditional" competitive route. "I

personally hated competitions and was not very successful at them. But," he

offered, "that approach may be useful for some."

Mr Berman also commented that self-confidence is an important and necessary

trait because rejection is part and parcel of the competitive route; one must

not take that response as a personal or necessarily accurate assessment.

What this fine and sensitive artist exudes is the understanding, and the

awareness, that it is a privilege to have the opportunity to read a fine book,

or meet a great person, or examine an artistic endeavor. These experiences

should be savored and sought, not just accepted in a haphazard way. This is

the qualitative difference in a life.