Naples Philharmonic adds a second to its jaw-dropper piano series with Kantorow

Alexandre Kantorow

Artis—Naples spent a good number of millions refreshing and waterproofing its museum. It might have well invested a percentage of that in reinforcing the foundation of Hayes Hall to accommodate all the jaws hitting the floor.

For two concerts in a row the performances have been astounding. On Nov. 21 it was Yefim Bronfman. Substituting for the ailing Andre Watts in a special concert, he flattened the crowd with his immersive performance of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 3 — and then obliged the cheers with an encore, a spirited movement from the Beethoven Pathetique Sonata. (It didn't hurt to have the Naples Philharmonic and Associate Conductor Radu Paponiu nail that evening shut with a sturdy performance of Dvorák's textured Symphony No. 7.)

More:Can-do Radu: Naples Philharmonic associate conductor switched gears smoothly for new concert

Friday night, Alexandre Kantorow came to play the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 and the results were equally amazing. Kantorow — who became the first French pianist to win the Tchaikovsky Competition this summer — is a bit sartorially unorthodox, emerging in untucked shirt and dark plaid pants. But he can come out in his pajamas when he plays like this.

Kantorow played the work with such intimacy you were sure he had reincarnative Beethoven genes in him. Within the quiet moments — and there are many in this most sparely expressive of Beethoven's concerti — Kantorow commanded a sophisticated spectrum of dynamics. He massaged the tempo to pull out its most evocative moments and met the orchestra on its own ground for its declarative finale. 

In this case, the overhead piano revealed an equally interesting technique; Kantorow slides his fingers along the keys toward the back panel and catches some notes obliquely, a breathtaking feat.

The result was an authentic interpretation, engrossing performance; when the orchestra breaks in to nearly chide the piano in the andante, the battle between fortissimo and pianissimo was all but visible onstage. The piano wins, of course.

That Kantorow is here is because of the foresight of Artis—Naples Music Director Andrey Boreyko. Last March, long before the competition, Boreyko had secured Kantorow for this concert with the observation that he saw him as a pianist with strong promise. 

The crowd didn't want to let him go — so he didn't. After three curtain calls, Kantorow returned to play a transformative version of the finale from Guido Agosti's transcription of Stravinsky's "Firebird." Some of us — no names mentioned — ran right to our computers after the concert to hear this dreamy transcription again. (Kantorow performs again at 8 p.m. Saturday and then at 3 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday here. See information box.)

Hear it:Curious about that 'Firebird' finale? Francesco Piemontesi's performance here

But now is not the time to leave. The Naples Philharmonic, with Boreyko conducting, opened the concert with Wagner's Overture to "Tannhäuser," a work that is both solemn and radiant.

It is also yeoman's work for the strings, which play a massive amount of descending runs, and the cello and bass sections that are doing the athletic paddling that propels an important part of this work. Coconcertmaster Emerson Millar and Associate Concertmaster Ming Gao shone on its sweet duet.

It was incentive for everyone to try the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, which is not a particular familiar piece here, but should be. That may be because Bartok has such a command of brass, which serves as the head turner for the music's direction in nearly every movement. It may be because of its engaging second movement in which pairs of instrument sing in different sets of harmonics, giving every section the chance to star (thus the work's name).

It also may be because Bartok can ground the music with his elegia and then jump into a sunny diversion in the final movement. It certainly was because the Naples Philharmonic and Boreyko created a commanding version of it. 

And finally, it may be because the work was commissioned for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It is rewarding to know how much in the anthology of Romantic and post-Romantic classical music from Europe's best composers was created for demand in the United States. 

Harriet Howard Heithaus covers arts and entertainment for the Naples Daily News/naplesnews.com. Reach her at 239-213-6091.