Simon: Piano Recital


Simon Trpceski
Hertz Hall, UC-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
April 14, 2013

On a brilliant sunny Sunday afternoon, it is not easy to lure people into a quiet UC-Berkeley hall to listen to a solo performance by a classical pianist- even if he is one of the burgeoning talents of his generation.  Simon Trpceski has played with the finest symphonies in the world and been honored everywhere he goes.  In his homeland of Macedonia, they even had to virtually create an award for him, “National Artist of the Republic of Macedonia.”  On April 14, he performed Schubert’s German Dances and Fantasy in C major.  Both pieces were filled with lots of arpeggios- which are probably fun to play and show off his impeccable technique.  But when he reached the adagio of the second piece he demonstrated both his mastery and the sublime beauty of Schubert’s composition.  Simon is well known for his very expressive style of playing and could be mesmerizing just to watch .  Of course, most of the audience was waiting for the well-known Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Liszt that ended the program.  Simon also played three generous encores which were well-received.  In fact, the only flaw in the whole program was the inexplicable inconsiderateness of one audience member that drank water from a plastic bottle and loudly unzipped her purse which earned her a scowl from Simon.  Still a magnificent performance from a serious talent.  Check out Lizst’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.  

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