As the finale of the New York Piano Festival, Alexander Beridze, founder and artistic director of the budding series, performed his own demanding solo recital. Not surprisingly, he is up to the task of wearing numerous hats, having earned degrees in both journalism (Tbilisi State University) and music (Tbilisi State Conservatory and Mannes). He is currently working towards his doctorate from Rutgers, while maintaining teaching, administrative and performing lives. Counting Vladimir Feltsman and John O’Conor among his teachers, he has won several competitions and has performed both in the U.S. and in his native Georgia.
Opening with Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 7, Mr. Beridze impressed with his laser-sharp focus, each phrase honed with intelligence. This opus (one of this reviewer’s favorites) has subtleties that require perhaps more mature mastery than some of the sonatas heard more frequently, and in Beridze’s hands it projected as the great work that it is. He sustained intensity throughout, and, while one might have wanted more breathing at some points, it was admirable that he could keep it feeling “charged,” especially in such a casual venue.
Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit followed a drastic change of tonal worlds, well handled.
Ondine was awash in color and excellent overall, even if occasionally the melodic glimmers felt overwhelmed by the brilliant splashes. Le Gibet benefited from Mr. Beridze’s knack for shifting the spotlight from one voice to another, and Scarbo was brilliant, although not quite “over the top” with nightmarish surges as it can be (and as this listener likes).
Brahms Sonata Op. 1 in C Major suited this pianist well. High points were a heavenly close to the second movement and some almost swashbuckling moments in the third movement. The fourth movement was a bit hectic for this listener, but exciting nonetheless.
Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka, which finished the program, showed much more of the electricity that would have further enlivened Scarbo, with bright, vibrant contrasts and an imaginative dramatic sense. After what has amounted to an epidemic of Petrushka this spring, Mr. Beridze’s emerged as one of the best, steely, precise, and bristling with life.
