South Florida Classical Review

Evgeny Kissin

Keyboard fans can hear two significant pianists this week, one a veteran at the height of his powers, the other a spectacularly talented 18-year-old who appears headed toward a major career.

The veteran is the Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin, who on Tuesday will perform a recital of Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. Kissin has become one of the leading pianists of his generation, and his recital should be an effective closing event to the Kravis Center’s admirable classical season.

Conrad Tao

The teenager is Conrad Tao, a pianist in the process of making the transition from brilliant prodigy to master, which Kissin has done so effectively. Tao should be familiar to many South Florida listeners from several recital and concerto appearances in the area, and his performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Symphony of the Americas last season was one of the highlights of the year. The orchestra must have thought so too, because they asked him back to perform all five Beethoven piano concertos in concerts Sunday, Monday and Tuesday under the baton of James Brooks-Bruzzese at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. He will play concertos 1, 2 and 3 on Sunday and Monday, and concertos 4 and 5 on Tuesday.

For tickets to Kissin’s recital, go to kravis.org, or call 800-572-8471. For tickets to Tao and Symphony of the Americas, go to browardcenter.org or call 954-462-0222.

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