08/02/2009 Classical Music Review: it was plain to all, Plano deserves stardom, di Rob Hubbard

Late Sunday afternoon, they were handing out the classical Grammys in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, 1,500 miles away, a few hundred people were gathered on the campus of St. Paul's Macalester College, listening to a recital by Italian pianist Roberto Plano. And at least one of them found himself contemplating why some musicians become superstars while others toil in relative obscurity, even if they might be more talented. Luck? Marketing? Accidents of timing? Whatever it is, the hundreds who gave Plano a rapid and almost unanimous standing ovation at the end of his Chopin Society recital seemed to concur: This is an exceptional artist. And they may have left asking one another: Why haven't we heard of this guy? Plano is better known in Europe. But he's gradually working his way into the consciousness of American classical music lovers. That said, you couldn't be blamed if you heard Plano's involving journey through Robert Schumann's 45-minute "Davidsbundlertanze"; an unabashedly romantic rendering of a Mozart sonata; and some thundering, flamboyant Liszt and came away curious as to why he's playing in southern Minnesota with the Austin Symphony on Feb. 22, while Chinese pianist Lang Lang has endorsement deals with Audi, Nike and Rolex. Not to belabor the comparison, but one of Lang Lang's crowd-pleasing signature pieces is a Liszt "Hungarian Rhapsody." On Sunday, Plano delved far deeper with Liszt than Lang has on recent local visits. He found a lovely hidden melody in a "Transcendental Etude," then met the demands of the difficult "Dante Sonata," demonstrating awe-inspiring athleticism, his hands a blur while hammering out the crashing chords. By that time, listeners knew they were in expert hands. Giving the first half of the recital over to the 18-part "Davidsbundlertanze," Plano wisely played up the sharp contrasts in mood from one movement to another. One moment meditative, the next bouncing with frivolity, then screaming with rage, Schumann's work is a buffet of widely disparate flavors, but the pianist made each equally delicious. In addition to a version of Mozart's K. 333 Sonata that managed to bring out both the Bach that influenced the composer and the Beethoven he inspired, Plano offered an encore that filtered Mozart through Jelly Roll Morton and "Fatha" Hines. Sending the audience off with a lush and lovely little Astor Piazzolla piece, Plano doubtless left many listeners wishing that he find the stardom he deserves.