Three pianists joined the Dallas Chamber Symphony in three concertos at Moody Performance Hall.
Pianist Adam Jackson acknowledges applause after performing with guest conductor Jim Stopher and the Dallas Chamber Symphony in the final round of the Dallas International Piano Competition at Moody Performance Hall on June 18, 2024. Jackson took first prize and the audience prize in the competition.
All three of the competition finalists were accomplished musicians. But Jackson’s performance of the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor had that extra “something.” Great performances have an illusion of spontaneity, and Jackson’s Chopin had it through and through. The slow movement was ravishing — sometimes extravagantly stretched, but never losing the feeling of forward motion. The finale danced and glittered, with some daring stretches of pulse even there.
If Jackson’s Chopin hadn’t been so special, Feng’s Liszt Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major could have taken the top prize. Feng supplied plenty of heroism where called for, but also poetry for lyrical music and sparkle for the finale.Young’s Schumann concerto was sensibly proportioned and admirably executed. But expressivity seemed more calculated — tastefully, to be sure — than felt. The music wanted more whimsy.
In the Liszt, one was occasionally conscious of smaller string complements than with usual symphony orchestra performances. Brasses — splendidly as they played all evening — might have backed off a little in big moments. And Moody’s adjustable acoustics might have been dialed back for a little less reverberation., Special Contributor. Former staff classical music critic Scott Cantrell continues contributing as a freelance writer on classical music and art.
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