It’s hard to imagine any pianist alive better suited to the Colorado Symphony’s two-weekend Rachmaninoff festival than 34-year-old Russian pianist Olga Kern.
Besides titanic technique and a huge sound, she brings uncommon charisma and the right touch of showmanship to the five compositions for piano and orchestra that are at the heart of this ongoing series.
Kern was completely in her element Saturday evening, offering electrifying performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s two most-beloved such works: the Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, and “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” Op. 43.
Add in “The Isle of the Dead,” Op. 29, a piece that the orchestra had not performed since 1952, and it was a dream program, at least for Rachmaninoff fans. And there are a lot of those, judging by the overflow crowd.
Adroitly balancing power and poetic delicacy, Kern breezed through the tricky runs of the Third Concerto, subtly shaped its voluptuous melodies, gave voice to its innate Russian flavor and delivered muscle when necessary.
Unfortunately, the piece was marred by a ridiculously long pause after the first movement to allow scores of latecomers to too slowly find their seats.
That concerto alone would have been challenge enough for most pianists, but, undaunted, Kern returned in the second half to take on the “Rhapsody,” another demanding piece, dazzling the audience again.
Both performances were greeted with immediate standing ovations and the most thunderous applause and cheers heard in Boettcher Concert Hall in recent memory. She responded at the concert’s end with a speedy encore — Rachmaninoff’s transcription of “Flight of the Bumblebee.”
The evening’s co-star was conductor Jeffrey Kahane, who, as a world-class pianist himself, is an ideal accompanist for the concertos.
But just as important, he and the orchestra had their own moment to shine in “The Isle,” delivering an interpretation of spellbinding power. Kahane captured the quiet sweep and ghostly feel of this darkly evocative tone poem, deftly shaping its long lines and gradual build-up.
The Rachmaninoff festival continues at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a different program each evening.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
