Evgeny Kissin's recital in Symphony Hall, Boston, this evening showed that not only is he a great pianist but a great musician and artist too. It was one of the most enjoyable and memorable concerts I have been to in a long time. He played a program of Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin to a packed audience.

His playing has many of the characteristics of other great pianists such as Vladimir Horowitz, Jorge Bolet and Shura Cherkassky. He has incredible control of dynamics.Whether he is playing with the softest pianissimo or the loudest fortissimo, the music is projected to the audience such that every detail, nuance, harmonic subtlety is heard. He has a wonderful sense of colour and is one of a few pianists who can really transform the piano into a singing instrument rather than a percussive one. He also has a phenomenal technique.

His recital began with two Rondos by Beethoven, Opus 51, No. 2 in G major, and Opus 129 in G major. I am not too familiar with these pieces and have not played them myself though I have heard the second one a few times. I was impressed by the lightning speed at which he played the second rondo, the dynamic variations, and interesting way he played the return of the main theme differently each time.

The Schubert Sonata in C minor, D 958 was a really memorable performance. I was really struck by the way he shaped the beautiful slow and song-like melody in the first movement. This is how Schubert should be played, making the piano sound like someone singing. The last movement (allegro) showed some of the humour and "creepiness" in Schubert's music. The opening melody of this movement reminds me very much of the last movement of Beethoven's " Pathetique" sonata which has a similar melody. His sense of rhythm in this movement especially in the contrasting middle section was extraordinary, almost making one feel like dancing.

The four Ballades by Chopin were wonderful performances. One of the characteristics of Kissin's playing is to really bring out the melody well. This was especially so in the 2nd ballade. He played the beginning of this with a pastoral simplicity that was really delightful. Before the coda of the 4th ballade, after the loud chords followed by five pianissimo chords (I think this has similarities with a certain place in the last movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony where Beethoven is showing the world what it is like to be deaf where everything suddenly goes silent) he made a long pause of silence (one could have heard a pin drop!) to emphasize the drama before the stormy coda began.

Evgeny received a standing ovation, flowers, and handshakes from people who rushed up towards the stage. He played two encores: the Turkish march by Beethoven arranged by Anton Rubinstein, and quite a moving performance of a Chopin Impromptu in G flat major. He announced the encores which I thought was a nice touch. He occasionally smiled to the audience as he bowed (which I don't think he has done so much before).

I went backstage to meet him. There was already a long line of his fans waiting to meet him. He was wearing a burgundy coloured jacket, was a bit taller than I had thought, and was nice looking. He has a good command of English with a strong Russian accent. I asked him when he will be playing again in Boston and he doesn't think it will be before the year 2000. That's a pity. I hope it will be sooner because I am looking forward to hearing him again really soon.

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