The Big Screen
A fussy reclusive English writer
(John Hurt) suffers an insane crush on
an American teenage heartthrob in
Love and Death on Long Island,
shown 7 p.m. Sunday, April 12, at the
Detroit Film Theatre, 5200 Wood-
ward, Detroit. $5.50. (313) 833-2323.
Family Fun
Follow the Yellow Brick Road to
the Fox Theatre where The Wizard of
Oz, starring Mickey Rooney and
Eartha Kitt, will captivate munchkins
of all ages Through April 26. Call for
times. $17.50-$45.50. 2211 Wood-
ward Ave., Detroit. (248) 433-1515.
Art Scene
campus of Wayne State University.
The show continues through May 16
and features works as diverse as clay
teapot bricks and Raku wall panels.
The Richard Hunt Affirmations
exhibition contains indoor and large-
scale outdoor sculptures. It is the first
solo exhibition of a major African-
American artist at the Museum of
African-American History. Continues
through June 21. 315 East Warren,
Detroit. (313) 494-5800.
Galerie Blu welcomes Birmingham
artist Lenore Gimpert and her newest
works of art that portray the romance
of the Greek Hellenistic, Baroque and
Rococo periods. Opening reception 7-
10 p.m. Friday, April 17. 568 North
Old Woodward, Birmingham. The
show runs through May 15. (248)
594-0472.
Whatnot
Cherry and plum blossoms, both
cherished winter blooms in East Asia,
Dr. Mark Rosen, author of Thank
are featured in paintings, lacquers,
You for Being Such a Pain: Spiritual
ceramics and textiles in a DIA special
Guidance for Dealing with Difficult
Asian Gallery exhibit titled Harbin-
People, visits Borders Book Shop 7
gers of Spring: The Flowering Cherry p.m. Monday, April 13, to conduct a
and Plum. Through May 31. Detroit
workshop and sign his book. Dr.
Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward
Rosen, a management consultant,
Ave. (313) 833-7900.
takes a spiritual perspective toward
The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery at The
relationships. 31150 Southfield Rd.,
University of Michigan-Dearborn pre-
Birmingham.
sents A Celebration of Paperweights
An exhibit at the Detroit Historical
through May 2. 4901 Evergreen Road,
Museum examines the cultural history
Dearborn. (313) 593-5087.
of Detroit's Arab-American communi-
Lemberg Gallery presents the open- ty. Titled A Community Between
ing of Street Scenes, an exhibition of
Two Worlds: Arab American in
new paintings by Detroit's Stephen
Greater Detroit, the exhibit runs
Magsig. Magsig finds inspiration in
through the end of September in Stark
Detroit's bleak buildings and devastat-
Hall at the museum. 5401 Woodward
ed industrial areas. Continues through
Ave., Detroit. (313) 833-1805.
Saturday, May 9. 538 North Old
Woodward Ave., Birmingham. (248)
642-6623.
The still-life paintings of New
Dedicated volunteers are needed
York artist James Del Grosso feature
for the Detroit Historical Society's
sensuous melon slices, luscious
1998 Fall Designer Showhouse, pre-
apples, pears and grapes. Dramatic
sented
in partnership with the Ameri-
contrasts of light and color define the
can
Chapter
of the Michigan Society
paintings. The exhibit runs through
of
Interior
Designers.
Designed by
April 25. 163 Townsend, Birming-
Albert Kahn, the 13,000-square-foot
ham. (248) 433-3700.
mansion is located at 150 W. Boston
Metalworks, an exhibit and sale of
in Detroit's historic Boston Edison
furniture, lighting and tabletop acces-
district. Built in 1913 as the home of
sories in a variety of metals, runs at
Benjamin and Sophie Siegel, the
the Detroit Gallery of Contemporary
mansion formerly housed the Nation-
Crafts through May 31. 104 Fisher
al Council of Christians and Jews.
Building, Detroit. (313) 873-7888.
Volunteers
are needed during the
FLUX — An Exhibition of Ceram-
design
period
(Aug. 3-Oct. 3) and
opens
5-8
p.m.
ics by Recent Faculty
during the tour dates (Oct. 3-25).
Friday, April 17, at Elaine L. Jacob
Call Diane Sepac, (313) 833-0481.
Gallery, 480 W. Hancock, on the
Volunteers
Passior Tsina Piano
ith his shock of curly
hair, innocent cola-
brown eyes and shy,
faint smile, 26-year-old
pianist Evgeny Kissin looks almost
angelic. But don't be fooled: This
Russian's fearsome technique and
supra-human musical abilities are
more demonic than celestial.
Kissin, who now lives in New
York, makes his Ann Arbor debut
Monday, April 13. He'll play one of
Beethoven's most challenging
sonatas, Sonata No. 28; Brahms' lyri-
cal Four Pieces, Op. 119; and Liszt's
Herculean Sonata in B minor. It's a
taxing program, and Kissin almost
assuredly will be up to the task.
Born in Moscow on Oct.
10, 1971, Kissin began
playing the piano at 2
and entered the
Gnessin School of
Music for Gifted
Children at the
age of 6. As a
baby, Kissin
sang incessantly,
often memoriz-
ing the tunes his
older sister
played on the
piano.
His teacher was
Anna Pavlovna Kan-
tor, who immediately
recognized his
astonishing tal-
Evgeny
ent, and who
Kissin makes his
would go on to
Ann Arbor debut.
become his musi-
cal adviser.
At just 7 years old, Kissin could
play all of the Beethoven sonatas and
Mozart's piano concertos. He impro-
vised like a demon, and began to
compose as well. At 12, he shot to
international prominence when he
performed both Chopin piano con-
certos in the Great Hall of the
Moscow Conservatory. That perfor-
mance was recorded and became one
of the most talked-about CDs of the
1980s.
But don't get the idea that Kissin
was relentlessly pushed by his mother
and teacher, robbing him of his
childhood and turning him into a
bitter, maladjusted adult. Kissin
needed no goading to practice. He
wanted no part of children's games;
he was serious about playing the
piano.
In 1996, he told The New Yorker.
"In my first school years, when I
returned from school I would, with-
out taking my coat off, go to the
piano and play for a while. I made
my mother understand that this was
just what I needed."
Kissin was indeed a prodigy, but
one who went far beyond the pale.
Even as a youngster, he didn't play like
the typical automaton child genius.
His artistic palette ranged from the
palest pastels to blinding neons.
And unlike many prodigies, he
didn't play technically difficult pieces
merely to dazzle his listen-
ers. There was subtlety
and tenderness in his
playing. In fact,
there still is.
Although
Kissin has
ripened as an
artist, gaining
even more
nuances, he
still plays with
the childlike
wonder all
concert artists
need to keep
performing well.
Still,
there's that
cb,
untamed, fiery side
vo..° e7 that erupts, too.
Prodigies have a sad ten-
dency to burn out quickly, but
Kissin has shown no signs of falling
prey to the crush of celebrity. In fact,
the pianist is uncommonly retiring,
preferring to recoil from the lime-
light and channel his energies into
music.
He has no shortage of admiring
young women, but he's been going
steady with the piano too long, it
seems, to be seduced by anything but
the sound of music.
— George Bulanda
Evgeny Kissin performs at 8
p.m. Monday, April 13, at Hill
Auditorium, 825 N. University,
in Ann Arbor. For ticket infor-
mation, call (734) 764-2538.
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