Tuesday, August 8, 2000

Himy Delivers Piano Pyrotechnics at U.

BY JEFF MANOOKIAN
SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

    Pianist Eric Himy distinguished the University of Utah Summer Arts Festival with a powerhouse recital that had to be seen to believe. His marathon concert July 31 in the Libby Gardner Concert Hall didn't seem to fatigue Himy in the least -- although his audience was left in one breathless state after another.
    Himy discovered a luscious romanticism in three sonatas by Scarlatti. He magically intertwined the lyrical lines throughout the contrapuntal fabric.
    No color in the aural palette was left untouched as Himy evoked all sorts of pleasures and passions from Ravel's ultra-impressionistic suite "Miroirs." There is hardly a pianist alive who could equal Himy's pyrotechnic deliverance of the set's most imaginative finale, "Alborada del gracioso."
    Chopin's Op. 27, No. 2, "Nocturne" gave this guest artist a wonderful platform to bring a multifaceted singing quality to this familiar gem. By contrast, Himy burned the barn with the Paganini/Liszt "La Campanella." It was a wonder that no one called the fire department. One extra note would have literally set the piano ablaze.
    Ravel's tour de force "Gaspard de la Nuit" was a marvel as Mr. Himy's fingers ran all the technical hurdles with plenty of savoir-faire in this impressionistic masterpiece and the finale, "Scarbo," left the audience in a state of disbelief.
    The "Soiree de Vienne" of Schubert/Liszt was uneventful at its outset. But this piece finished off with genuine charm and wit.
    Returning to Ravel for a whopping conclusion, Himy's own mega-transcription of "La Valse" capped off the evening with grandiose flair (if one doesn't count the three encores).