Konstantin Lifschitz shows off piano mastery at Libby Gardner

SALT LAKE CITY — Russia has produced many outstanding pianists over the years, and Konstantin Lifschitz certainly falls into this category among the younger generation of virtuosos. He is a remarkable artist who has been receiving praise wherever he appears. And on Friday, Salt Lake City was finally able to savor his powerful brand of pianism.

The 34-year-old Russian played a dazzling recital in Libby Gardner Concert Hall under the joint sponsorship of the Virtuoso Series and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation.

At his recital, Lifschitz displayed his astonishing virtuosity and musicality in a demanding program that featured music by J.S. Bach, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Franz Schubert.

The major work on the program was Schubert's massive Sonata in B flat major, D. 960. Not often heard in the concert hall, it is a huge work that demands a lot from the pianist. And Lifschitz delivered.

The B flat major sonata is one of Schubert's most sublime works, on par with his String Quintet, D. 956. The opening movement is expansive as it moves along at a moderate pace and transports the listener to another world. Lifschitz's account of this movement was luminous. It glowed with an inner warmth as he allowed the music to speak for itself. The same was true for the following Andante. He played both with rich expressiveness, emotion and sensitivity.

The scherzo Schubert wrote for this sonata isn't an infectious piece of lightheartedness. Instead, it exudes mystery and suspense that Lifschitz underscored with his compelling reading.

The finale is the lightest of the four movements, but it still contains a serious undertone, and Lifschitz managed to capture this dichotomy brilliantly with his intelligent and perceptive interpretation.

Also on the program was Rachmaninoff's Variations on a Theme of Corelli. It's based on the folk song "La Folia," which was very popular in the baroque era and which Arcangelo Corelli used in one of his violin sonatas. It's a simple tune, but Rachmaninoff builds some mighty variations on it. The work shows his inventiveness as he explores every facet of the melody both thematically and harmonically, and all within the framework of a showpiece for the pianist.

Lifschitz, for whom nothing seems impossible, played it as if it had been written for him. He brought refined musicality to the bravura writing that pervades the work. It was a powerful and mesmerizing account. His interpretation was musical and expressive, and he captured the contrasting moods and character of each variation.

The recital opened with Bach's Partita No. 5 in G major. Once again, Lifschitz showed off his technical mastery of the piano in his crisp, well articulated and seamless playing.

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