Pianist Daria Kiseleva

Another Rare Jewel In Aptos Keyboard Series

At St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Aptos on April 3rd, pianist Daria Kiseleva gave yet another fine performance as Dr. Josef Sekon’s new series continues to thrive with only one Recital remaining of its inaugural season.

Not only did we hear Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Ginastera, each played in a very different style by the young Russian-trained artist, she concluded with a strange but strangely familiar merry medley from the Nutcracker ballet as a ravishing encore.

Now 25 and a protégé of Tamas Ungar — former director of the Van Cliburn Competition at Texas Christian — Daria demonstrated a steadiness and maturity.

Mozart’s “Allegro in B-flat Major played in a strong, clean “classical” style became a real treat with its emotionally slow sections

Rachmaninoff’s “Variations on a Theme of Corelli from 1931 is based on an ancient Spanish slow dance. Daria easily brought out the composer’s nostalgia for old Russia As the opening slow dance is soon varied into sections played always with great expression but also with perfect control.

Ravel’s 1908 “Gaspard de la Nuit” opened with a magical, mystical “Ondine,” the water nymph conjured up glistening and shimmering under Daria’s hands. Then “Le Gibet,” a dim gallows scene, and concluded by the always aurally terrifying “Scarbo,” the macabre goblin conjured up in a perfectly gleeful sarcastic frenzy.

Then to conclude the program, Ginastera’s “Danzas Argentinas” from 1937. The work of these nationalistic soundscapes carried us onward via a musical magic carpet into the pampas. The first was light and whimsical, the second slow with tango-depth, and the third The perfect encore to our tour was an almost-familiar magical mystery tour brilliantly showy sensual and romantic, lush with fast runs, rubatos and even orchestral effects Afterwards she declared it to be themes from “Nutcracker” ballet a wonderful arrangement done Daria Kiseleva herself to end our carpet ride.