GlickArts

Yefim Bronfman at Wharton.  “A Monster Pianist”

In recent years, the classical offerings at Wharton Center have been sparse.  And the presence of a single solo artist playing a recital has almost been non-existent.

Which makes the appearance on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, of piano virtuoso Yefim Bronfman a special event for Wharton.

In this day of highly produced shows - lights, projections, amplification, moving stages - a solo classical artist may seem like a minimalist throwback.

Bronfman will perform on the Great Hall stage by himself with a Steinway Grand piano only. He will likely not speak, there will be no microphones - just spectacular music to engage your mind and brain.

Lansing’s resident piano superstar Ralph Votapek has a great regard for Bronfman.  “He’s a monster pianist – huge technique. I would put him in with the half-dozen or so greatest pianists in the world”.

Bronfman is a man of the world.  He was born in the Uzbekistan region of Russia. His parents are from Poland and the Ukraine, he moved to Israel when his was 14 and four years later came to the US to study at Julliard and has lived here ever since.

He tells me, “When I was first in New York – in the late 70s and early 80s – it was a great time for music.  Bernstein was active, as well as Isaac Stern and there was a very high level of quality in the orchestras”.

Today he plays about 125 concerts per year, worldwide.  The Wharton concert will be the same program he will perform the following weekend at Carnegie Hall (I bet the tickets will be cheaper here).  “I play in Carnegie Hall 2-3 times a year.  It’s a wonderful stage.  But, really, there are great stages throughout this country.”

Bronfman is a very humble person, low key and self-effacing. As many pianists have faded from the public eye over the past 20 years or so, Bronfman’s career has gained strength.  “I’ve had a lot of lucky breaks”, he says.

Certainly, one reason for his success is hard work.  “I’m working harder than I ever have.  I play much more for myself. I’ve worked harder in the last 20 years than I did my first 20 years.  Maybe I wasn’t as smart then as I am now.  Now, I always want to be in top form. Somehow the music seems more important to me now than it did then.

“There’s lots of rules in life, there aren’t any for how many hours of practice it takes to be a great musician.  Everyone has different hands and different bone structures; different body and different mind.”

Bronfman has chosen a program which is not showy, just beautiful and meaningful.  Votapek says of the music - The Debussy Suite Bergamasque (which includes Claire de lune), Schumann’s Humoreske and Schubert’s Piano Sonata No 19 - “These are works of great maturity and depth but not bombast and flourish.”  

INFO:  Yefim Bronfman, piano

Wharton Center Great Hall

Tuesday, April 2, 7:30 PM

Tickets: from $25