Deseret Morning News, Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Taste of Spain at music fest

Pianist equally adept as a soloist and in ensembles

By Edward Reichel
Deseret Morning News

PARK CITY AND SALT LAKE CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL, Libby Gardner Concert Hall, U., Friday.

Among the roster of artists who spend part of their summer at the Park City and Salt Lake City Music Festival is pianist Gail Niwa, who has been a nearly constant fixture at the mountain resort during July and August for years.

The gold medalist at the 1991 Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, Niwa has lent her incomparable pianism to numerous concerts at the Park City festival, both as soloist and chamber musician.

This year, Niwa helped close out the festival with several performances. At Friday's concert, held at the University of Utah's Libby Gardner Concert Hall, she sparkled as a soloist in a set of three pieces written by three very different composers on the same subject.

Spain, with its European and Moorish heritage, has always held a particular fascination for artists. Composers have been drawn to the country, intoxicated by its blend of the exotic and sensual. Among the many places that have stimulated the imagination of artists is Granada. Both native and foreign composers have written picturesque works that capture the city's flavor and spirit.

For her set, Niwa chose three pieces that were inspired by this city by three different composers: Agustin Lara, Claude Debussy and Isaac Albeniz.

Niwa played Lara's popular "Granada" in a dynamic arrangement, with sparkling flair, while capturing the evocative mood of Debussy's "Evening in Granada" and the colorful splashes of sound of Albeniz's "El Albaicin," from his suite "Iberia," with radiant virtuosity and resplendent musicality.

As a chamber musician, Niwa is no less spectacular. She displayed that talent wonderfully in Johannes Brahms' Piano Quartet in G minor, op. 26. Joined by violinist Monte Belknap, violist Leslie Harlow and cellist Scott Ballantyne, the four gave a compelling reading of this arch-romantic work. Their cohesive ensemble playing was intuitive, as if these four musicians have played together as a group for decades, not just occasionally during the Park City festival.

The foursome captured the stormy opening movement of the Brahms with their impassioned playing. In the Intermezzo, they emphasized the movement's restless vitality with finely nuanced hints of nervous energy. The Andante was played with effusive ardor, while their interpretation of the Gypsy rondo finale was filled with unbridled power and vigor.

Niwa opened Friday's concert with cellist Evan Drachman in Max Bruch's heartfelt "Kol Nidrei." A last-minute replacement for the scheduled "Pohadka" by Leos Janacek, this stirring reading set the stage for the rest of the concert.

Drachman is an expressive cellist, whose warm tones captured the spirituality of the work. Together with Niwa, their reading cast a radiant glow over the music with their eloquent, earnest and sincere playing.

E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com

© 2006 Deseret News Publishing Company