Few pianists epitomize the virtues of the Eastern European tradition as brilliantly as Ivan Moravec, the distinguished Czech artist whose Sunday afternoon recital in Orchestra Hall proved to be a high point of this season.

Moravec, like his Czech compatriot Rudolf Firkusny, is a master at creating stunning, vibrant colors. But whereas Firkusny leans toward a light tone much like the French pianists, Moravec's sound is full, round and majestic.

These bold sonorities, combined with Moravec's penchant for taking dramatic liberties with the score, might be a bit much for some concertgoers. For this listener, however, Moravec stands among a few great pianists on the stage today. He can be considered of the same caliber as Jorce Bolet, Claudio Arrau and Rudolf Serkin.

Moravec's account of Bach's Chromatic Fantasy, and Fugue in D minor certainly had a more liberal use of pedal than the purists would approve, and his sonic levels spanned the softest shades to the high-end forte. Clearly, this is a pianist who makes no apologies for playing Baroque music on the modern concert grand.

Nor is there any reason he should. Moravec's Bach had a buoyancy of rhythm and vibrancy of tone that made so many other performances of it seem tepid in retrospect. He built the fugue, in particular, with a grandeur of tone and gesture one had presumed was possible on the organ alone.

Mozarteans come in many forms, but few make the most of every measure as richly as Moravec did in the Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333. Each phrase, it seemed, had its own color and nuance, yet the whole sang with a sweetness and simplicity that couldn't have been more appropriate. The playfulness and innocence of the third movement will linger in the memory for a long while.

And so it went, with every piece on this standard-repertory program taking on a freshness and individuality that made it sound almost like a discovery.

Beethoven's 32 Variations in C minor turns up on student programs all the time, so it was a delight to hear what a top pianist would make of it. Moravec's quick tempos helped the piece hold together as a single dramatic statement, yet he brought remarkable character and definition to each variation.

The Chopin group proved a fitting finale, for it gave plenty of room for the full breadth of Moravec's romanticism. Rarely has one heard the Fourth Ballade in F minor shaped more beautifully. Moravec dispatched its main theme with ardor, and he delivered each variation with drama, panache and a flawless technique.

One only regrets that the Steinway piano Moravec played was plagued with so many buzzing sounds throughout the afternoon. Nevertheless, the concert reassured one that individualists of the keyboard still flourish.

Ivan Moravec's piano recital yesterday afternoon in Orchestra Hall could hardly have been more satisfying. The Czech pianist, presented on the Allied Arts piano series, plays with a finely wrought, rich, singing tone. His program, organized along traditional lines, provided generous offerings of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin.

Moravec has been a respected artist on the international piano circuit for more than 20 years, and Orchestra Hall was nearly full Sunday. Perhaps some in the audience were drawn by his performance on the sound track album of the movie Amadeus. Moravec gave no appearance, however, of having gone Hollywood as a result of the album's success. The word “impeccable” is often used to describe his playing, and it kept coming to mind during his concert.

The pianist is one of those artists who seems to have reached a point of equilibrium in his quest for beautiful sound and artistic insight. In the deceptively simple melodies of Mozart's Sonata in B-flat major, K. 333, his firm touch and straightforward phrasing burrowed beneath the musical surface without distorting the overall shape. Moravec's playing was emphatic and serenely confident Sunday, but never cold. The way he spun the first phrases of Bach's fugue out of the near-whispered final bars of the fantasy in the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, D.Minor, BWV 903, was consummate artistry.

Chopin is a Moravec speciality, and he offered two nocturnes, two scherzos and the Ballade No. 4 Sunday. His long-lined, singing tone was highly expressive, giving great clarity and intensity to the five pieces. The kind of polish and insight he brings to the piano was obvious in the final bars of the agitated Scherzo No. 3, C-sharp minor, Op. 39. Ready to crash into a flurry of chords from an urgent ripple of high octaves, Moravec hesitated for less than a millisecond. The crash, when it came, was full of power, fury and not a single harsh edge. He played Beethoven's dramatic 32 Variations, C Minor, WoO 80, with the same satiny virtuosity.