A Spectacular Recital

[Satzaroo]

The free Wednesday noon classical music concerts at St. Andrews Church in Honolulu are exceptional. Last week, the young pianist Calin Clark played two sonatas with grace and grandeur: Scriabin's Third and Rachmaninoff's Second. These works were not familiar to me, but Clark's commanding performance gave me an intimate glimpse into their intricacies. Clark doesn't hum like Glen Gould; he doesn't shake his head like Rudolf Serkin; he doesn't have the aristocratic bearing of Vladimir Horowitz. He has no outstanding mannerisms, no quirks, and no tics. But with the utmost aplomb, he plays so brilliantly that I can't imagine how any renowned pianist could rival Clark's mastery of the Scriabin and Rachmaninoff sonatas. Clark had a refined, delicate touch in lyrical movements (the Scriabin Andante); yet when the music demanded sheer force (in the Rachmaninoff Allegro agitato), he was unequivocally aggressive.  If Clark plays other piano pieces in various eras as impressively as he handled the two Russian compositions in his recital, he will be a superstar.