AS one of the only American winners of the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Kevin Kenner's recital understandably left the best for last. He titillated his audience the first half with some old-fashioned playing.
After the intermission, he launched into a most outstanding performance of the Chopin Preludes.
Mr Kenner is the first of five internationally known pianists at the APA this week, so the usual Hong Kong crowd has rationed itself to only a few recitals. The consequence was that the Lyric Theatre was barely half-filled for Kenner's performance of Weber and Schumann. Unexpectedly, the downstairs filled for the Chopin.
That was a wise decision. Whether for lack of inspiration, or perhaps lack of proclivity, Kenner's opening was not especially promising.
Yes, he is technically an outstanding artist. He could whiz through the presto passages of Weber's Invitation to the Dance with some abandon, and the more agonising moments of Schumann's 'psychological autobiography' were played with some fierceness.
But neither work was convincing. True, the very rarity of the Weber made it memorable. Invitation to the Dance has more arrangements than the Berlioz orchestration. Just about every late 19th century virtuoso 'fixed' up the piece to show their own digital skills.
Kenner could probably master those acrobatic tricks. But he played the original. It sounded comfortable, stodgy, a kind of musical heirloom fit more for salons than the APA theatre. But this in itself offered some style.
