<<  -- 3 --  Lawrence Budmen    BRAVURA VIRTUOSITY

When German pianist Martin Stadfeld (originally scheduled to perform on 15 May) was unable to appear due to problems with customs, the remarkable Gavrylyuk reemerged for a sampling of his highly personal interpretation of the music of Chopin and more Prokofiev. He brought stormy passion to Chopin's famous Revolutionary Etude and subtly floating tone and romantic intensity to the A minor Etude. In Prokofiev's restless Sonata No 7 Gavrylyuk set the keyboard ablaze with demonic fury. His dazzling version of Liszt's Rakoczy March (offered as an encore) was the essence of bravura virtuosity.

Ilya Itin (winner of the Leeds Competition) played a stately, commanding version of the Bach-Busoni Chaconne. Itin's powerhouse performance of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition imbued a large scale canvas with huge sonorities -- grand playing at a great festival!