Naomi Kudo, The Impact of Perfection
Naomi Kudo, The Impact of PerfectionEl Nuevo Herald (Miami, FL)
June 14th, 2006
Daniel Fernandez
It's almost hard to believe - in spite of the incessant proliferation of
excellent young pianists - that Naomi Kudo could have achieved, in only 19
years, a miracle of flawless technique and expressive versatility which she
demonstrated in her recital Sunday afternoon in Gusman Concert Hall at the University
of Miami.
Kudo obtained the second prize in last year's National Chopin Competition
- and one wonders how brilliant the first prize winner must have been - in any
case, for her crystalline execution of the Beethoven Sonata Op.2 No.2 in A
major, and her spectacular tour de force in the most difficult passages of the Barber
Sonata, Op.26, played in the first half of the concert, one could appreciate
that Kudo possesses a versatility that many don't accomplish without long years
of experience.
This was a natural talent, and we had no doubt that we were before one of
those natural pianists, who, without discrediting hard work, possess special
qualities that permit them to capture with sensibility and profundity the keys
in the phrasing and the spirit of the distinct composers. Her Beethoven was
well-balanced and clean, an exercise in classicism worthy of opening the night.
On the other hand, the Barber would have filled the composer with pride. Not a
single note was lost in the dazzling and almost impossible to play passages, the
reason for which this extraordinary work of the piano literature of the
twentieth century is almost outlawed in concert halls.
The second part of the concert was dedicated to two works from the vast
wealth of Chopin's output. The Andante Spinato and Grande Polonaise
Brillante Op. 22, and the Third Sonata in B minor Op.58. The first, like its
name indicates, opens calmly but introduces melodic phrases that the second
part of the work develops in a more rhythmic context. This work shows the tendencies
of Chopin, the nostalgic, the intense, an invitation to dance...
The second work is one of grand architectural
breadth: four movements with their corresponding changes of tempi and states of
animation. In the masterful hands of miss Kudo, this exquisite structure came
through. In the pompous and elegant "Allegro maestoso" and the vibrant "Scherzo",
and in the "Largo" with all its perfumes of impossible memories, and the
brilliant festive "Finale" with cascades of chords and passages that take your
breath away. It was an extraordinary ending by an extraordinary pianist who
promises to become a legend in this new century.