TALENT, hard work, and reaching the highest level of perfection are the usual characteristics of the able pianist Wael Farouq. The Cairo Symphony saves him for playing the most demanding Piano Concertos, as was the case in his recent concert in the Main Hall in Cairo Opera House under the baton of the conductor Marcello Mottadelli. The concert was a real pleasure for all music lovers. Wael Farouq was known for playing some great Piano Concerto for the first time in Egypt, such as Rachmaninoff's third Piano Concerto, and Brahms'Second Piano Concerto. This time he came to Egypt to present Prokofiev's second Piano Concerto, which is a gem in the piano repertoire. This is one of the most difficult works that were ever written in this genre. Since Serge Prokofiev was a celebrated pianist; he saved no effort in making this concerto a real challenge for both the soloist and the orchestra alike. This work is the most dramatic and romantic concerto of the giant Russian composer. The concerto has four movements, instead of the traditional three-movement arrangement. The first movement's cadenza takes over half of the whole movement, in addition to another long cadenza in the last movement. From the beginning, it was clear that Farouq had a total control and awareness of the mode. His entry came after the quiet pizzicato introduction from the strings, which presented the first theme of the first movement. Soon after, we were introduced to the beautiful, long, and lyrical second theme. Then the soloist's precise and accurate left hand conversed wonderfully with the orchestra switching the mode and dynamics in a stunning way until the climax of the movement was reached. This was followed by an exceptionally long and taxing cadenza. One of the memorable moments of this concert lies in the second movement of this concerto, when we listened to the fiendishly difficult unison played by the soloist's both hands in a neck-breaking tempo. Again the young pianist passed the test very successfully. Both the gifted soloist and the conductor managed to mesmerise the audience throughout this amazing threeminute movement. The concerto also exhausted the potentials of Cairo Symphony orchestra, specially the woodwind instrumentalists, who played several solo parts. A tempestuous speed and power prevailed in the final movement. This was not only due to the wonderful performance of the soloist, but was also the outcome of Prokofieve's outstanding orchestration. Notably, the brass instruments were playing unusual harmonies with rhythmical accuracy and in doing so they could successfully interact with Farouq's well-shaped phrases on the piano. We should pay the conductor his dues in this concert, since it was one of the most important concerts that Marcello Mottadelli gave in Cairo. He paid attention to every single detail in the score with regard the dynamics, the rhythmical stability, and the rich orchestral colours. Moreover, he managed to achieve the very difficult balance between the soloist and the orchestra, which is an appalling task in this masterpiece of Prokofiev. It is hoped that Mottadelli would memorise this work and add it to his own repertoire on the one hand, as well as would present it several times with Cairo Symphony Orchestra, instead of wasting the orchestra's capacities in too-light or repetitive works that are not worthy of its name and reputation on the other. Significantly, it was Farouq's first time ever to perform this great and difficult concerto, which was indeed a wonderful present for the classic music lovers in Egypt. [email protected]
