Simon Trpčeski began his recital with Beethoven's 12 Variations on a Russian Dance from "Das Waldm ädchen" in A major, WoO 71. He immediately struck with his concise touch, the nuances of which were clearly audible throughout the hall. With a beautiful touch, he presented this relatively unknown music alternately playful and lyrical. The pianist approached this fairly early work from the perspective of Haydn and Mozart, placing less emphasis on the capriciousness and roughness so typical of Beethoven's later style.

He continued with October from Tchaikovsky's Seasons, Opus 37a. He performed it beautifully, although a slightly slower tempo would have emphasized its nostalgia even more. The Dumka opus 59 is one of the most pianistic pieces by this composer and it was played firmly and with a serious tone at the end.

Lastly, the 32 Variations in C minor on a unique theme, Beethoven's WoO 80, also belong to his better-known variation cycles. Here, the unruly composer, so familiar from his later sonatas, is much more evident. Trpčeski played these with presence and, incidentally, demonstrated how perfectly the new Steinway grand piano he was unveiling that evening was tuned.

The Macedonian pianist possesses a remarkable technical prowess, which is reflected in his impeccable playing. Nevertheless, I wasn't entirely won over before the intermission, perhaps because his playing had sometimes sounded a little too "neat." I felt the same way about his rendition of Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales . Here, again, the playing was impeccable, alternately firm and subtle, but not overly sensual. The overall tone remained somewhat earthy, which was a shame, because this pianist possesses the kind of subtle touch that can work wonders in this hyper-sensitive music. Despite these minor quibbles, the Epilogue sounded beautiful.

In the final work on the program, a Suite from The Nutcracker, arranged for piano by Mikhail Pletnev, the pianist was clearly in his element. This was possibly also due to Tchaikovsky's infallible music, which held its own in this arrangement. The March of the Tin Soldiers sounded immediately virtuosic, while the well-known Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy once again worked its magic. In the Tarantella , the pianist's playing was strikingly clear, allowing you to hear every detail, and the Intermezzo – A Pine Forest in Winter – sounded almost as refined as Pletnev himself plays it. The audience nearly applauded after each movement. In the final section, Andante maestoso (Pas de deux), the pianist's playing was evocative.

Loud applause followed, after which Trpceski sat down at the piano and exclaimed loudly , "I am thinking of what to play." Indeed, you just have to have the right encore ready, even while you're still high on adrenaline. In his brief explanation, he mentioned the legendary pianist Shura Cherkassky, who supposedly said that the 32 steps of the staircase were "the loneliest you could imagine." It was fitting that he mentioned his famous colleague, because the first encore, Poulenc's Hommage à Edith Piaf, wouldn't have been out of place at a Cherkassky recital (whose encores remained the absolute highlight of his recitals!). With the second encore, the Precipitato from Prokofiev's 7th Sonata, "the fire was clearly unleashed." And these are, in fact, the moments you kind of wait for: unbridled momentum, passion, fury, and virtuosity. It was all there in this rapidly played movement, as was its sardonic character. Trpceski's ingenuity was in maintaining the fast tempo while also preserving the clarity of his playing. Fortunately, it didn't degenerate into a breathless gallop with many dropped notes. He concluded with a composition by his analysis teacher (whose name I didn't catch), which, after a quiet beginning, ended with a frenetic finish. Trpceski then gave a beautiful fourth encore of "Villa Lobos," which he spontaneously and unexpectedly dedicated to an emotional Marco Riaskoff of the long-successful "Master Pianists" series, in which the pianist has performed several times.