You have the whole rest of the week to get to events of the Southeastern Piano Festival, which takes place at the USC School of Music and is under the artistic direction of Marina Lomazov...recitals, master classes, a competition on Friday (for which I'll be one of the jurors), Olga Kern playing Rach 2 with orchestra...it's got the works.

Ms. Kern really got the Festival going last night with her recital in the School of Music's recital hall. Here's just one unusual aspect of this festival: rarely would you be able to hear Ms. Kern in a hall of such intimacy, as I'm sure that economics generally dictate that she usually plays big halls, even for solo recitals. All the better, then, to hear what a stupendously huge sound she wrings from the instrument, and an appealing, orchestrally big sound, really never going over the edge into harshness. I hope the students watching learned from that experience. Ms. Kern gave a powerful rendition of Chopin B minor Sonata and Rachmaninoff 2nd Sonata. She never seems to hurry or rush unduly, preferring to let herself enjoy the byways, the nooks and crannies, within every movement. For me that sometimes made the Chopin fail to take off, or to lack direction at times. But in the Rachmaninoff I thought it worked spectacularly. Never did Rachmaninoff sound as modern or as original to my ears.

The Festival has been going for several years now and is firmly established as a cultural jewel in the Midlands firmament. For a more detailed look at a past Festival, go to this older blog entry on the 2006 edition, written when I had more time to devote to lengthy posts, pre-fatherhood.