I had one of the shocks of my musical life a couple of months ago…
Here’s what happened:
My old friend Richard Sherman, a gifted player and long-time client of mine, had been telling me about this Russian pianist, Dmitri Ratser, who he described as “phenomenal” and “a deeply emotional player,” someone I “really couldn’t miss.” Richard went on to say that he’d heard him play in concert, and was determined to help him be heard by more people on this side of the world. Eventually, Richard convinced me to come to his house and hear two live recordings Mr. Ratser had made, both within the last few years.
Richard has a very good stereo system, on which I’ve listened to hours of the most beautiful players—Hoffman, Rubinstein, Horowitz, Arrau, Gould, Geiseking, Radu Lupu, and others—and as I listened to Ratser play, I literally could not believe my ears.
Here was a player singing through the piano, moving me to tears; the Rachmaninoff piece he was playing, which I’d heard many times before (I’m deeply ensconced in a Rachmaninoff listening phase; have been for 2 years) sounded new, and fresh, and original in a way that thrilled and frightened me…he made the technical part of it seem like child’s play, like a gambol on a forest meadow. All the true forces of the music were singing an internal melody through the fingers of this man with deep emotion, and touching my heart, and my gut.
Dmitri Ratser has moved jaded, big-city critics to use words like this:
“Ratser’s performance took one’s breath away with its mesmerizing single-mindedness, its inexorable force, its stunning virtuosity.”
– Los Angeles Times
“Ratser looked like a combination of the young Liszt and Paganini, and he played with a demonic intensity reputed to be characteristic of those two virtuosos. Ratser’s pianism is larger than life: His fortes thunder, his pianissimos shimmer, his fingers fly with preternatural dexterity… Yet he is far more than an artist of seismic shock and digital dazzle. He can achieve a glowing tone and uncommon clarity of texture, qualities that served him well in Bach’s Partita No. 2.”
– The Atlanta Constitution
“Ratser has an elegant, weightless touch, an immense technique and a singing line that remind some listeners of Horowitz… Much bigger names, with much bigger fees, have passed through this area, but with a few exceptions the stars shone with little more than ordinary luster.”
– Dallas Magazine
Imagine my great pleasure as I invite you to hear this beautiful artist, very close-up, at my home and showroom..
David Andersen Pianos presents
DMITRI RATSER IN CONCERT
FEATURING
works by
Chopin, Liszt, Khachaturian, and Rachmaninoff
SUNDAY OCTOBER 11, 2015
2:00PM
AT
DAVID ANDERSEN PIANOS
$35.00 INCLUDES LIGHT REFRESHMENTS
ALL REVENUE GOES TO THE ARTIST
RSVP AT ONCE – SPACE IS LIMITED TO 35 SEATS AND WILL FILL UP VERY QUICKLY
PL:ASE CALL 310-391-4360 OR EMAIL: JAYE@DAVIDANDERSENPIANOS.COM
AND
PAY BY CREDIT/DEBIT CARD OR PAYPAL, OR CHECK; ALL SEATS MUST BE PAID IN ADVANCE
From the desk of David Andersen
www.davidandersenpianos.com
david@davidandersenpianos.com
310-391-4360 (Ofc)
310-403-4559 (C)
