Some of the best pianists in the world pass through Cincinnati on a regular basis. But few virtuosos could match the nonstop thrills of Behzod Abduraimov’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on Saturday night.
His encore wowed once again. After the explosive power of the Rhapsody’s final passages, it’s amazing that Abduraimov had energy left. But he capped his performance with “La Campanella” from Liszt’s Paganini…