Press
20. 10. 2005
Shih and Staud with Anika Vavic
The program selection was well thought through and to the point: Far removed from "sandwich" or "strong point" endeavors, Anika Vavlc's performance in the Brahms-Saal combined before and after the intermission a new composition with a piano repertory milestone.
The first two pieces suited each other especially well: The last Waltz by the Taiwanese-Austrian Shih is a movement-oriented character piece which fit well with Schumann's Kreisleriana. Glittering whirlwinds turn into massive movements, only to be reduced once again to individual pensive notes. The young pianist from Belgrade, who studied in Vienna, executed with great intensity the wide interpretational range allowed by the composer.
In contrast thereto stands Johannes Maria Stand's Peras, a structured, introversive, "micro cosmos"-oriented piece, which celebrated its premiere performance during the Ruhr Piano Festival and now its first interpretation in the fatherland of its 30-yearold composer. It is characterized by clear lines which are interrupted now and again and attain a concentrated, at times nervous development.
Vavic obviously wanted to transmit the Peras-message to her audience before she concluded the concert with a brilliant performance of Chopin's Sonata in B-flatMinor. She was rewarded by public and fans alike with generous applause.