Press Acclaim
“Koltakov took
the gold in last year's San Antonio International
Piano Competition on the strength of a probing, intensely personal account of the
Liszt sonata. Returning to town as soloist in Rachmaninoff's splashy Piano
Concerto No. 2, Koltakov lowered the temperature, to excellent effect. His performance
was assured and agile, compassing the pyrotechnics with seeming ease.”
--Mike Greenberg, San Antonio Express-News
“Koltakov may not look the part, but he’s another exemplar of
the powerful Russian sound. His high-octane recital was a blistering
demonstration of how many notes can fit into 75 minutes.”
--James McQuillen, The Oregonian
“We're so used
to pompous, sentimentalized Rachmaninoff that we tend to forget the
composer's own very different style of piano playing, which had a quicksilver
brilliance...Mr. Koltakov came closer to the music's heart than most
concert pianists these days.”
--Scott Cantrell, The Dallas Morning News
“The Ukrainian couple make a perfect pair. Their rendition of the
Poulenc Concerto was spellbinding as was their encore piece: “Variations
on a Theme of Paganini” by Lutoslavski. Koltakov and Makarova
did not fail to master all of them with an ease and panache that was,
as they say, breathtaking. “
--James Marquis, The Albany (GA) Herald
“No one who heard pianist Alexey Koltakov is likely to forget this
young man…It brought to mind some of the legendary performances
of the past, when showmanship and artistry often mixed. People loved seeing
Artur Rubinstein throw his hands high up in the air in de Falla’s “Ritual
Fire Dance”. Or, as pianist and writer Charles Rosen has noted,
audience members would stand on their seats to watch the young Horowitz
rip through the octaves in the Tchaikovsky piano concerto.”
--Joanne Sheehy Hoover, The Journal
“The opening notes of Brahms’ Variations
on a Theme of Paganini announced a pianist of major talent, gifted with
power, range and a distinctive, unmistakably Slavic imagination.”
--Wayne Lee Gay, Star-Telegram
Ukraine pianist gives $15,000 performance
Alexey Koltakov
of Ukraine and Australia won the $15,000 top prize to become the
gold medalist in the Ninth San Antonio International Piano Competition.
Robert Rios, vice president of the competition, announced the winners
late Friday after the final round in Trinity University’s Ruth
Taylor Recital Hall.
The judges chose not to award a silver medal and the accompanying
$10,000 prize. There was a tie for the bronze medal—Grace Fong and Michael
Mizrahi, both of the United States—with each receiving $5,000.
Fourth prize, worth $2,500, and fifth prize, worth $2,000, were also not
awarded.
The three medalists are to play short programs on a winners’ recital
at 7:30 tonight at Travis Park United Methodist Church, downtown
at 230 E. Travis St.
Prior to the recital, at 7 p.m., composer Ronn Yedidia will discuss
the “Rhapsody” he
wrote on commission for performance by all five finalists. The winners’ recital
and Yedidia’s talk are free.
In addition to the overall rankings, the judges on Friday awarded
special prizes, worth $1,000 each, to Koltakov for the best performance
of
Yedidia’s “Rhapsody” and
the best performance of a romantic work; and to Fong for the best
performance of a
classical work.
The panel of judges included concert pianist Daniel Pollack, as chairman,
and concert pianists Robin McCabe and William Wolfram.
Finalists’ names and countries:
o Vicky Chow of Canada
o Grace Fong of the United States
o Alexey Koltakov of Ukraine and Australia
o Michael Mizrahi of the United States
--By Mike Greenberg, EXPRESS-NEWS STAFF WRITER mgreenberg@express-news.net
From the San Antonio Express-News October 21, 2006 Saturday METRO Edition,
Metro and State News Pg. 3B
