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Daniil Trifonov joined with his classmates in the ±ÆÁ¨±ÆÁ¨ Orchestra, under the skillful baton of ±ÆÁ¨±ÆÁ¨ President Joel Smirnoff, to premiere his first original concerto earning uproarious applause and accolades from the near capacity audience and reviewer Zachary Lewis of The Plain Dealer.

Lewis, who (March 18) of this concerto by the 23-year-old ±ÆÁ¨±ÆÁ¨ student and world-class soloist, indicated that even his sneak preview could not have prepared him for the unfolding of the full score on Wednesday, April 23.

"Much as Prokofiev’s earliest listeners were surely stunned, so was a a house full of benefactors Wednesday night in Kulas Hall at the ±ÆÁ¨±ÆÁ¨ staggered by Trifonov’s titanic premiere of his own First Piano Concerto," Lewis writes in his online review.

He goes on to recognize Trifonov's "raw originality" as well as the influences of such masters as Scriabin, Bartok, Shostakovich and Prokofiev. No surprise to anyone familiar with the pianist's oft-performed repertoire.

Lewis also called out the partnership between pianist and orchestra in Trifonov's Piano Concerto in E-flat minor and highlighted the "sparkling" performances by the Orchestra in the first half of the program, which includes works by Liadov, Bartok and Tchaikovsky.

Read the .

Update 4/30/14: Enjoy another rave review of the event at .