Pianist Efi Hackmey will be treating audiences to a musical bouquet at Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on Sunday.
The soloist, who most recently performed with the Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel, presents Debussy’s “Estampes” (“Prints”) in three movements. With hands working the keyboard, he takes viewers to a pagoda in Indonesia in the first part, followed by a evening in Granada, Spain, and finally to a beautiful French garden in the rain.
“These solo pieces are about five minutes each [and] they are very picturesque,” said Hackmey, a native of Israel and currently on the faculty at the Levine School of Music in D.C. “I played ‘Estampes’ recently for a small audience here in the D.C. area and afterwards someone came to me and said how visual it is. It’s true of the Impressionists, and I just love Debussy.”
| Onstage |
| Efi Hackmey |
| Where: Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW |
| When: 6 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: Free; 800-444-1324; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org |
In addition to his appearances around the District and his teaching, Hackmey is also an esteemed chamber musician in New York, where he often performs in the Friends of Mozart Series at Christ and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. In response to recent performances in New York, music critic, Roman Markowicz of Nowy Dziennik (Polish Daily News) noted that “under his fingers, the piano sounded noble, and each phrase was full of character,” even as he went on to complement Hackmey’s “highly personal, thought-through interpretation.”
When asked about his performing preferences, Hackmey concluded that he really doesn’t have a specific one; he enjoys solo and orchestral, and finds himself very much at home with chamber music.
“I’ve been thinking a lot more about solo performance,” he enthused. “But I would like to continue with all sorts of performance as much as I can.”
Even as playing is a principal endeavor, Hackmey is committed to reaching out to new audiences and toured West Texas in March 2010 with the famed soprano Raquela Sheeran. Sponsored by the New York-based Piatigorsky Foundation, their travels included seven recitals in high schools and public libraries. Last year, the two continued their collaborative tour throughout Wyoming and Idaho.
This evening’s recital also includes pieces by Haydn and Chopin — works he hopes will be well-received.
“I would like the audiences to connect with the music and have fun,” he said. “It’s not so much about me. In a sense, it’s not my stage.”
