October 6, 2004
Russian pianist Yakov Kasman, who made his American debut winning the silver medal in the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997, made his Portland debut Oct. 4 as the pinch hitter on Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Music Director Carlos Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony. Kasman, who arrived from Birmingham, Ala. one hour before showtime, amazed the audience and critics with a stunning performance of the difficult concerto that had the crowd on its feet.
Kasman replaced scheduled soloist Louis Lortie, who notified the orchestra just prior to Sunday's concert that he was unable to perform due to tendonitis in his right arm. Kalmar and the orchestra substituted Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 for the second half of the Sunday evening performance.
"It is always unfortunate when unexpected circumstances cause last-minute changes in the program," said Ryberg. "However, no one could have predicted what an incredible success each of the concerts would be; I am extremely grateful to Carlos, Yakov, the orchestra and the administrative team for making that possible."
Since winning the Van Cliburn medal, Kasman has appeared as a soloist with more than 40 orchestras in the United States, Russia and Asia. He has 14 recordings with Calliope and Harmonia Mundi; his recording of Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 and Schnittke's Concerto for Piano and Strings received the "Choc de Monde de la Musique" award in France, was rated highest by "Classics Today"and referred to as "superlative" by the American Record Guide. Kasman is a Professor of Piano and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. For more information on Kasman, visit www.yakovkasman.com.
