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I just saw Kemal Gekic play a Chopin/Liszt/original composition program, and it was amazing. I really like his style and how he interpreted the pieces. However (for the sake of honorable mentions) right before that, I saw Martha Argerich play in the opening recital for the 11th International B枚sendorfer and Yamaha USASU Competition in early January. Hands down the most incredible experience of my life鈥攂onus points because after the concert I went backstage and got to meet her, and quickly introduced myself and thanked her for being such an incredible inspiration to me!
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Andr谩s Schiff at Lisinski Concert Hall, Zagreb! Sublime!
Perhaps his approach is already well-known, but it was new to us. He no longer communicates is program repertoire in advance. Rather, he announces his pieces from the stage, with brief commentary and anecdotes, in terse but elegant commentary. As he explains in a statement in the program book, the practice of selecting repertoire 1-2 years in advance is personally oppressive and tempts performers (himself anyway) into a static and constricted approach to performance. We loved it. The program included Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. Did I mention ... sublime?!