Kevin Kenner recordings

First post!

I was listening to the Chopin Ballade #1 in G minor this evening and was reminded of a wonderful artist, Kevin Kenner, whose interpretations of Chopin are stunning. It had been a few years since I had looked for anything from him online, so I decided to Google him to see what I could find. I was delighted to discover his website and that he's recorded a whole bunch of Chopin (and Ravel, and Piazzolla, et al.), including the 24 Preludes, the 2 Concerti, the 4 Ballades, and several shorter works.

These recordings have immediately moved to the top of my wish list. I'll post more when I actually hear them, but my expectations are very high.

There's sort of a personal connection here, which you might find interesting:

Kevin Kenner grew up in San Diego, CA, and studied with Krzysztof Brzuza for a number of years there. I also lived in San Diego, from 1990-1994, and my parents met Kevin's parents (not that I'm on a first-name basis with the guy, but "Mr. Kenner" sounds so formal...) early on in that period. It was thanks to an introduction by Kevin's parents that I, too, had the opportunity to study with Mr. Brzuza in 1991-1992.

I first heard Kevin play Beethoven's Emperor Concerto with the San Diego Symphony in 1992, two years after he became the first American to medal at both the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition. As a 17 year-old aspiring pianist, I was thrilled to see Kevin play, especially after all I'd heard about his success. I remember thinking, "Wow. Here's someone whose path I'm now following in some way. Maybe I can do this!" My only other interaction with him was as a music student at BYU. He came to conduct a masterclass during my sophomore year (1997-98), and I was invited to perform the Rachmaninoff Etude-Tableau in G Minor (Op. 33, No. 8). I was impressed that Kevin remembered me from our brief back-stage conversation in 1992, and he offered some terrific feedback on my playing.