"A world poised delicately between exuberance and melancholy" is how Joshua Rifkin describes ragtime, and Bermuda Festival-goers will have a chance to witness, first-hand, just how expertly the pianist strikes this balance on Monday evening when he performs 'Rags, Tangos and Waltzes' before a sell-out audience.

The programme will feature the music of US ragtime master Scott Joplin, and his Brazilian contemporary, Ernesto Nazareth, and will include 'The Entertainer' from the soundtrack of the 1973 Newman/Redford film, 'The Sting,' and the equally popular 'Maple Leaf Rag'.

Mr. Rifkin generated world interest in Joplin with the release of three volumes entitled 'Joplin's Piano Music' in 1970.

The American composer stipulated in writing that his music should not be played fast, and the pianist follows that advice, contending that "any performance that rides roughshod over the melody rides roughshod over the music".

In comparing the music of the two composers, Mr. Rifkin points out that the difference between American and Latin American ragtime lies in the syncopation. Whereas the syncopation in the former derived from march rhythms, the latter derived from the haba?era and the tango. Either way, the results make delightful listening.

A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, Mr. Rifkin is both a keyboard soloist and conductor who has appeared with many prominent orchestras around the world. In addition to his affinity for modern composers, he is also renowned for his work in Baroque music with his own Bach Ensemble, which he will direct in two different programmes at City Hall on February 12 and 13.

For further information on ticket returns call the Bermuda Festival box office at 292-8572.