Serhiy Salov Plays Debussy

SUDDEN FLASHES OF LIGHT from Santiago Ruiztorres on Vimeo.

Serhiy Salov is a Ukrainian-born pianist now living in Montreal. He won the 2004 Montreal International Competition and has established himself as an exceptional artist. In this video he plays his own arrangement of Debussy's Fetes (Festivals). The playing is remarkable enough but what makes this video even more memorable is the direction by Santiago Ruiztorres. The camera work and the editing is imaginative, to say the least. Videos of this sort can sometimes seem gimmicky and contrived, telling us more about the film-maker's self-absorption than about the performer or the music. Not so in this case. Debussy's evocative music and Salov's dynamism cries out for this kind of treatment and gets it. Quite an achievement. For more about the artists visit their websites at www.serhiysalov.com and www.santiagoruiztorres.com.

Paul E. Robinson