Lifschitz Makes Some Musical Miscalculations

A wondrous musicality, high technical accomplishment and a practically unlimited future characterize young Konstantin Lifschitz’s pianism as demonstrated Friday night in Schoenberg Hall at UCLA.

But miscalculations abounded in this debut appearance by the 24-year-old Ukrainian musician. First, he played too much and he played too long. What might have been a bracing program of sonatas and short pieces by Beethoven and Schubert became a marathon for both pianist and audience.

A lightweight beginning, right after 8:10, turned into a heavy demonstration by 10:30. This program could have been trimmed by a third.

Starting with the two beloved sonatas of Beethoven’s Opus 14 was the first mistake: These works are too much alike to benefit from being heard side by side. Then, before the provocative Seven Bagatelles of Opus 33, Lifschitz added two others--unnecessary, superfluous and overlong.

The Schubert half of this agenda also proved overgenerous: The early A-minor Sonata, D. 537, was paired with two scherzos from D. 593, then followed by the usually irresistible set of “Moments Musicaux,” Opus 94.

Lifschitz does not yet command all the colors and pianistic hues he will need to create a lasting career. In soft passages of any length, he has a poetic sensitivity that can hold the listener.

The field of his fortes, however, is a plain of sameness; in his playing, whole areas of loudness are uncalibrated, often harsh, redundant. Consequently, one often waits in vain for the ebb and flood in an aggressive passage--the subtleties in its motivation never appear.