Evgeny Kissin Dazzles Korean Fans

Evgeny Kissin said that performance is ``the gift to composers and all of humanity,’’ and this pianist is the gift that keeps on giving. In his Seoul recital, Thursday, the Russian sensation _ or revolution rather, to imply the historic dimension of his presence _ gave 10 encores and serviced fans with an autograph session that continued past midnight.


(Photos courtesy of Credia)

The pianist’s concert was an event people did not want to miss. The concert hall of Seoul Arts Center was fully packed well before the show began, with less than a handful of latecomers slipping in after his delightful rendition of select pieces from Prokofiev’s ``Romeo and Juliet.’’
Each time the tall figure emerged onstage the audience exploded into applause but would hush instantaneously when he sat down.

No one dared to cough between the movements of Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 8, and it was as if the members of the audience were turned into stone under the spell of Kissin’s magical pianism (OK this sounds so corny, but people, including myself, were so incredibly STILL). An occasional shifting in the seat would softly echo through the hall, and the musician’s deliberate but effortless notes hung suspended in the air, even after he took his fingers off the keys.

This genius, and one does not use this word lightly, has a way of holding you at the edge of the seat _ in the silence between the notes he holds your breath before poetry manifests itself in his rollicking, glistening phrasings. During concerts, this reporter is usually busy scribbling down notes, but throughout Kissin’s performances, she had to remember to breathe, quite literally. The audience had to try very hard not to clap after each etude as he proceeded immediately to the next one.

When the official program came to an end, the entire hall jumped into a standing ovation, and, a never before seen sight took place. People left their seats and crowded toward the stage, and organizers did not even attempt to intervene as a majority of the 2,500 people took out their cameras and cell phones to fill the hall with a tide of flashes. It must be noted here that the Korean audience is usually quite tame, and don’t try to breach regulations about taking photographs.

The cool hall became heated, quite literally, as fans cheered on for one encore after another. Kissin, looking a bit overwhelmed by the Korean audience _ whom he said is ``the most passionate of audiences, even more so than Italians’’ _ offered more Prokofiev and Chopin, and finally, a dazzling rendition of Mozart’s ``Turkish March.’’ He ended the 1 hour 20 minute encore by bowing gracefully with one hand on his heart _ a sign that the gift for the evening is over. Well, almost over.

A long serpentine line formed in the lobby for the autograph session, which lasted close to an hour until 12:30 a.m. A handful of people had to be turned away at the end, but most were seen jumping up and down in glee, having in possession a token of what would undoubtedly be the most talked-about classical event of the year.

Kissin performs less than 45 times a year, but he gives each session 300 percent, with the added bonus of, on average, 10 encores and a signing session. Chang Il-bum, music critic and radio DJ, has watched Kissin onstage over the years since the 37-year-old’s early days in Moscow. ``When I first saw him as a young man (in his 20s) in Moscow, I thought I’d seen it all, but each time I see him he sets new horizons. It’s difficult to imagine how he’d be like as a white-haired old man,’’ he told The Korea Times.

For the meantime one can only wait for the pianist’s return, and dream of what more he has to offer.