Bergamasco, Bertoli, Tomuro bring joy
to Palm Beach Atlantic University piano concert

By JOSEPH YOUNGBLOOD

Special to the Daily News

Thursday, March 06, 2008

'A Portrait of the Piano" was the subtitle of the Palm Beach Symphony concert Tuesday evening at the Palm Beach Atlantic University chapel. The orchestra presented three piano concertos, as well as a Rossini overture, assisted by three participants from the International Certificate for Piano Artists, which was meeting in Palm Beach.

Not only were there three soloists — Francesco Bergamasco, Mauro Bertoli and Gen Tomuro — there also were three conductors — Philippe Entremont, Ray Robinson and Ramon Tebar.

Entremont, president of the International Certificate for Piano Artists, conducted a spirited performance of the Overture to Gioacchino Rossini's 1813 opera L'Italiana in Algeri. The opening pizzicato was carefully shaped, and the wind interruptions were solid. The treacherous oboe and piccolo solos were handled cleanly. Whereas the string section of the orchestra is a bit small, the wind section is complete and often overpowering.

The first of the soloists was Francesco Bergamasco, a native of Italy. His vehicle was Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto No. 4 in G, Opus 58, conducted by Tebar. This is a big concerto, and one of the first in which the soloist has the first word. Bergamasco has a big technique, with full control of the dynamics of the piano. His playing is quite expressive, especially in the introductory bars to the first movement. The cadenza in the first movement was powerful. The soloist was able to dominate the orchestra except during certain passages in the finale, when the winds dominated.

After intermission, Robinson, the orchestra's regular maestro, conducted Franz Joseph Haydn's Piano Concerto in D, H. XVIII:11. The soloist was Mauro Bertoli, also a native of Italy. This concerto calls for lightning-fast finger technique, of which Bertoli has plenty. The first movement was taken at a quick tempo, and the strings sounded bright and solid in the introduction. The adagio featured interplay between the orchestra and the piano, which was handled artistically. The cadenza in this movement brought out Bertoli's dramatic side. The figurations were especially brilliant in the finale, where the middle section was so aggressive as to approach violence.

The final work was Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Opus 54, conducted by Tebar. The soloist was Japanese pianist Gen Tomuro.

Although this concerto calls for power, it also demands a singing tone, especially in the middle section of the first movement. Tomuro had all of these qualities, and more.

Mention should be made of the beautiful clarinet solos in this passage. The cadenza was particularly brilliant. The second movement seemed a bit cold at first, but the emotion was warm in the second theme.

The finale was taken at a brisk tempo, and the tricky second theme was rhythmically clear. Tomuro had a firm grasp of the music, and his strong fingers made the fiendish coda seem easy.

The audience was immediately on its feet, shouting "bravo!" In response, the three soloists crowded up to the piano for a six-hand performance of a Waltz by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was a joyful ending to an exuberant concert.