Piano Recital by Krystian Zimerman Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: July 2 It was a demonstration of ultra-refined technique from Krystian Zimerman at a packed Concert Hall on Sunday. Yet, for all his delicate control and crystalline touch, the Polish pianist left the impression of a keyboard aristocrat who brought out little passion in the music. His style was best suited to Maurice Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales, which calls for a combination of clockwork-like order and sensitive poetry. A highlight was how Zimerman rounded off the work's seven short waltzes with a superb Epilogue, in which previous themes floated amid sparse, hazy chords. The moment's atmosphere was captured to perfection by Zimerman's improbably precise weighting of chords and dynamic shadings. But Mozart's K330 Sonata, which opened the recital, was given a rather affected treatment. Although Zimerman played the many rippling runs with near impeccable clarity (except for some messy spots in the third movement) and his balance was well nigh faultless, his rubato was often unnatural and couldn't bring real sparkle to the performance. Then came the Ravel and George Gershwin's Three Preludes, which was played with prominently rhythmic bass-line, but the jazzy swing was otherwise wanting. The second half of the recital included Frederic Chopin's Op 24 Mazurkas and Sonata No3. His rendition was fluent and idiomatic; the mazurkas were dance-like, his dovetailing of the singing lines was inimitable, and a Chopin-esque sense of bitter-sweetness pervaded the playing. But the turbulent passion of the sonata became emotional gestures as observed from a distance. Although there was an easy grace throughout, and the Finale was delivered with aplomb and virtuosity, Zimerman didn't bring the piece to life. The audience applauded rapturously nevertheless, and among Zimerman's encores was a finely paced Ballade No4 by Chopin.