Russian piano virtuoso Boris Berezovsky is on the phone and he's very excited, though not as excited as he should be when he plays the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo this summer. There, Berezovsky will be performing Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30, a work he considers "infamous" because of its technical demands and beautiful melodies.

Heralded as the "true successor to the great Russian pianists of the past" (such as Sviatoslav Richter and Vladimir Horowitz) by British classical-music magazine Gramophone, Berezovsky is known for his formidable technique and powerful energy. He claims that such a well-known work must simply be made "as exciting as one can."

For him, the most difficult aspect of performing this passionate, technically dazzling piece is not "to lose my head, to control my emotions and make sure I don't go crazy." He says this with an easy, confident laugh that suggests it won't be a problem keeping his feelings under wraps. In any case, "it's what the chef [the PMF Organizing Committee] recommended," Berezovsky says with another laugh, and declares the piece as the perfect choice: "It's one of my specialities."