Fred Lerdahl is one of the least known among “major” American composers. Lerdahl’s music is greatly admired by cognoscenti, and his theoretical writings are among the most important of the latter 20th century, but his music remains less known to the general public, perhaps because of its non-doctrinaire stance. A Lerdahl composition might at any moment be tonal or atonal, it might luxuriate in Lerdahl’s rich melodic and harmonic gifts, or it might make reference to various musics of our past. Pulitzer prize-winning composer Paul Moravec writes that: “The deep, fresh, inspired music of Fred Lerdahl is a beacon for listeners making their way forward through the millenium’s strange and wonderful landscape of the imagination. Organic images express the way in which Lerdahl’s music seems so right as it unfolds in time, giving the impression of inexorability.” Time After Time, a Pulitzer prize finalist, is for the familiar ‘Pierrot plus percussion’ formation. In two movements, the eighteen and a half minute composition employs spiral forms, in which simple ideas become elaborated and more complex with each cycle. Marches for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano is a phantasmagoria of over-laid march-like ideas. One can feel the presence of Sousa and Mahler, lurking in the wings as Lerdahl creates an overall mood that veers between humor and fervent instrumental brilliance. Lerdahl's Oboe Quartet was composed for La Fenice, the ensemble that performs it here. Led by the superb oboist Peggy Pearson, the quartet integrates the oboe into the ensemble in a single 13 minute movement whose overall mood is playful with occasional dark undertones. Waves for chamber orchestra simply must be heard to be believed. Given a stunningly controlled reading by the conductor-less Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, this recording is a re-mastered release of the out-of-print Deutsche Grammophon recording.

The quartet on this album was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance.

One of the most difficult aspects in considering the works of a composer with a complex, characteristic (some might say hermetically sealed) style like Carter's is that there's always a temptation to take the lazy way out and just assert that, "Well, it all sounds like Carter, and if you like Carter then you'll like these pieces." And when the performances are as good as these clearly are the attractions of taking the easy option become all but overwhelming. Alas, for good or ill, critics are supposed to offer opinions not just about the quality of performance, but also regarding the works themselves when they are new. The problem with doing this successfully (or even plausibly) in Carter's case is that his music asks to be judged by its own standards, and probably the only person adequately qualified to say anything intelligent in this regard is Elliott Carter himself. Still, that's never stopped me before, and it's not going to now. Having lived with this disc for some time, here's the bottom line: not all of this music is equally good, but some if it is really enjoyable.


Shard, for solo guitar, is a zippy and appealing little two and a half minute trifle that, as the title implies, sounds like a piece of something bigger, but one with an edge to it. That something bigger (and edgier) turns out to be Luimen (the title is Dutch and means "whimsical moods"), of which Shard comprises the third of four continuous sections, albeit with additional instrumental commentary. The word "whimsical" aptly describes Luimen, and any composer worth his salt better have his tongue in his cheek when writing for an ensemble consisting of trumpet, trombone, harp, mandolin, guitar, and vibraphone. Why does Carter's style work so well here? Well, first of all, traditional tonality would almost inevitably force a composer into well-worn melodic and harmonic pathways hardly suited to such an unequal and strange assortment of instruments. The result would probably sound merely foolish, whereas Carter's music, with its layered approach to complex rhythms and other simultaneous musical happenings celebrates and exploits the timbral potential of just such an unbalanced instrumental grouping. Take for example the work's second section, in which lovely soft chords from muted brass, harp and vibraphone serve as a background to sudden plucks from the mandolin and guitar, or the very end of the whole work, which is exquisitely timed to produce a really humorous effect. In short, this piece delivers the goods, and does so with a smile.


The same, alas, can't be said for Tempo e tempi, a song cycle set to various Italian poems and scored for voice, oboe/English horn, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, and cello. Here the means must be at least somewhat more traditional because the point of any song cycle is the expressive enhancement of the text through music (which is the not the same thing as mere musical illustration, mind you). Three of the songs, "A Dove", with its softly warbling clarinet, "Sunken Oboe" (the musical potential is obvious), and "The Poet's Secret", with its luminous accompaniment, accomplish this goal. The remaining five, whatever private meaning they may hold for the composer, sound as if he could have been setting excerpts from the Manhattan yellow pages, for all their expressive specificity. He's also let down by a recording that places everyone, including soprano Susan Narucki, too close to the microphones, resulting in flat aural perspectives and tonal monotony (though everything else on this disc sounds great). And let's face it, you really can't place any work with lots of solo oboe (no matter how fine the player) far enough away from the microphones, can you?


That leaves us with the celebrated Eight Pieces for Four Timpani. This seminal work, beloved of percussionists, belongs as much in the practice room as it does in the concert hall. Carter himself requests that no more than four of these brief studies ever be played at one time, recognizing the potential for aural fatigue. Daniel Druckman accommodates their metrical and polyrhythmic complexities with virtuoso flair, and he's recorded clearly enough so that the music never turns into mud. Curiously, their interest being primarily rhythmic, these pieces make pretty easy listening for anyone who enjoys virtuoso drumming or music with a certain primal quality. Our Western tradition is filled with works in which an amazing sophistication of technique evokes ancient or primitive ritual music (think of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring or Les Noces, Varèse's Amériques, Ginastera's Popol Vuh, or Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano), and Carter's timpani pieces fall squarely into this tradition, however personal the actual idiom.


So there you have it! Now well into his 90s, Carter continues to write challenging, stimulating music, and to enjoy the enthusiastic support and loyalty of a tremendously talented group of musicians, not least the members of Speculum Musicae. The fact that he employs a highly evolved and complex personal style with limited broad appeal should not, in the final analysis, excuse anyone--supporters, detractors, or even music critics (who ideally should belong to neither category)--from taking each work as it comes and giving it due consideration accordingly. I may be wrong, but I seriously doubt he'd want it any other way. It should also come as no surprise that not everything he writes is equally good. After all, he may be the Grand Old Man of the American avant-garde, but in all other respects he's only human, and so is his music when you come right down to it. [3/4/2002]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Soprano Georgine Resick's Visions Intérieures, is a survey of the development of the song cycle. Ms. Resick sings in German, Polish, French, Swedish, and Italian, in this two-CD tour-de-force which presents a superb selection of works and composers rarely heard today. The great flowering of the song cycle occurred in early nineteenth century Germany, with its greatest representations being the well-known cycles by Schubert and Schumann. These cycles inspired numerous imitations, many of which, while not attaining the depth and breadth of their models, are charming and integrated works. On Disc One, entitled The Early German Song Cycle, Ms. Resick is accompanied by Andrew Willis, performing cycles of Weber and Kreutzer on a copy of a Louis Dulcken fortepiano (Munich 1815-20). The duo then performs cycles of Cornelius, Thalberg, and Jensen on an original 1841 Bösendorfer. On Disc Two, entitled The Wanderer: The Song Cycle in Migration, Ms. Resick is joined by Warren Jones, performing late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century cycles on a Steinway D. In an interesting cultural crossover, The Wanderer presents songs by a Russian composer of French-Lithuanian descent setting Polish poems; a German-influenced Polish composer setting German poetry; a French influenced Italian, and French composers setting translations of texts from Persia and Denmark.Georgine Resick is an internationally recognized soprano in both the operatic and concert fields. Renowned for her Mozart and Strauss interpretations, she has sung a wide variety of leading roles with the Vienna State Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Paris Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and numerous others.

The Russian/American pianist Vassily Primakov has begun a series of recordings for Bridge that have been highly received by the international press. Writing of his recent Beethoven CD (BRIDGE 9251), the International Record Review stated that "Primakov's Beethoven offers thoughtful performances from a young musician who is more than a virtuoso." Primakov's concerts have frequently occasioned rave reviews, the New York Times writing of Primakov's "bold, expressive phrasing and dramatic commitment that brought the audience to its feet." Bridge's latest Primakov CD includes music that is close to the heart of the 29-year old pianist--two of Tchaikovsky's major statements for piano, The Seasons, Op. 37-bis, and the Grand Sonata in G Major, Op. 37. The Seasons, which could be called "The Months" is a series of 12 short character pieces, written for a monthly Russian journal, and published during 1876. The Grand Sonata, a work of symphonic scope, was composed in the Spring of 1878, and is widely regarded as Tchaikovsky's most important utterance for piano. Vassily Primakov's recordings for Bridge include a recently released disc of the Chopin Piano Concertos (BRIDGE 9278).

This disc presents the debut concerto recording of the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition silver-medalist, Joyce Yang, heard here in an impassioned 2011 account of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, recorded in Odense, Denmark. Also on the recording is the rarely heard symphonic fantasy, The Tempest, op. 18. In this work Tchaikovsky evokes Shakespeare’s island and the sea around it, both in calm and storm, heard here in Alexander Lazarev and the OSO’s intensely powerful reading.

Ferde Grofé's arrangements for Paul Whiteman's band constitute a treasure-trove of early- to mid-20th century Americana. Usually we only get to hear his epoch-making original arrangement of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, but here we are treated to the rarely-performed Second Rhapsody, as well as Grofé's own Grand Canyon and Mississippi Suites. The results are both delightful and ear-opening. In this arrangement the Second Rhapsody sounds remarkably light and sassy, and notably less "cinematic" than in its original form (the music began life as a film score). Oddly enough, the small ensemble's smoother dynamic profile gives the piece greater coherence and flow, aided by Lincoln Mayorga's elegant playing and Steven Richman's idiomatic and alert conducting.


The same observations hold true for the Grofé works. If the final "Cloudburst" from the Grand Canyon Suite isn't as obviously overwhelming as it can be when played by a full orchestra, movements such as "On the Trail" gain in terms of sheer charm. Throwing the balance of tone onto the winds and brass rather than the strings produces a far less heavy texture overall, and the music sounds somehow more modern, less dated. It's also great to have the chance to hear the Mississippi Suite once again. It's really a fine piece of descriptive work and it deserves to be popular.


As a bonus, we have Gallodoro's Serenade, a characterful bon-bon offered by Mayorga and the piece's dedicatee, Al Gallodoro himself, something of a living legend. He played clarinet and saxophone in Whiteman's band for several decades and is still going strong well into his 90s. Bridge's sonics are typically terrific, while Richman and the Harmonie Ensemble deserve lots of credit for digging up these arrangements and bringing them back to life with such gusto and polish. More titles are promised, and we can only look forward to them with enthusiasm. [11/8/2006]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

SPIRITUAL RESISTANCE—MUSIC FROM THERESIENSTADT • Wolfgang Holzmair (bar); 1 Russell Ryan (pn) • BRIDGE 9280 (75:08)


ULLMANN Der Mensch und sein Tag. Der müde Soldat. 3 Songs, op. 37. 1 K. BERMAN 6 Reminiscences. HAAS 4 Songs after Words of Chinese Poetry. 1 KLEIN 3 Songs. 1 Lullaby. Z. SCHUL What Never Was. 1 KRÁSA 5 Songs, op. 4. 1 I. WEBER I Wander through Theresienstadt 1


The music of the composers who were imprisoned at the Nazi concentration camp Theresienstadt (Terezín in Czech)—Viktor Ullmann, Gideon Klein, Pavel Haas, Hans Krása, and several others—tends to be programmed together in concerts and recordings. Since each composer produced music under uniquely horrible shared circumstances, it seems fair to link the pieces composed at Theresienstadt together, but on the other hand, it is worth getting to know their individual styles separately. In any case, it is almost impossible to listen to any of their songs without interpreting the choice of texts, if not the music, for clues as to the composers’ suffering.


Overall, there are few overt references to the Holocaust. Most of the texts are poetic or philosophical, and the music is most likely what these composers would have written in any circumstance. It was the act itself of composing that represented their remarkable self-assertion. The title of this recital by baritone Wolfgang Holzmair and pianist Russell Ryan, “Spritual Resistance,” refers to this and consists mostly of songs composed in Theresienstadt.   


The program opens with Pavel Haas’s Four Songs after Words of Chinese Poetry , set to Czech texts with a recurring theme of yearning for home. His fellow composers at Terezín successfully urged Haas, who was severely depressed, to try to compose, and these songs comprise the few results. Somewhat like his teacher, Janá?ek, Haas liked to use compact motives made up of very close intervals. The piano part in particular often moves in a repetitive, crab-like fashion that communicates a feeling of being trapped. The four songs form a true cycle, and are given a strong and understanding performance by Holzmair and Ryan. Holzmair’s Czech is good, and he darkens his light baritone to suit the range and mood of the music. Haas’s songs were premiered at Terezín by Karel Berman, an inmate who survived and became a leading singer at Prague’s National Theater after the war. If there is such a thing as a definitive performance, Berman’s recording of the Four Songs , released in 1993 on Channel Classics, qualifies. He not only survived the war but his bass baritone voice proved to be exceptionally durable, still rich and resonant decades after his first performance of Haas’s songs.


Berman turned to composition only twice, and it might have been interesting if Holzmair had included his song cycle Rosebuds on this disc. His other composition, for solo piano, was published in 1993 with the complicated title: Suite “Reminiscences” 1938–45. It is a kind of musical diary that originally consisted of three musical impressions of Terezín. After the war, Berman added five other movements to create a fuller portrait of his life’s events. (The late Joža Karas, author of Music in Terezín , once told me that it was at his suggestion that Berman added these movements.)The suite moves in an emotional arc from its folk-like, lyrical opening movements (“Youth” and “Home”) toward greater dissonance and discord in the movements concerning Terezín and Berman’s near death. Pieces like “Auschwitz—Corpse Factory” and “Typhus at the Kauffering Concentration Camp” are the only music on the disc that makes direct reference to the Holocaust, but they are like faint pencil sketches that only hint at the horrors. The final movement, “New Life,” contains a polka and quotes earlier lyrical material. Pianist Russell Ryan performs movements from the suite interspersed between groups of songs, but he omits two of the suite’s movements, the first, “Youth,” and the seventh, “Alone, Alone,” its happiest and most despairing sections respectively. Christopher Hailey’s otherwise thorough liner notes fail to mention these omissions. Programming these pieces as a series of interludes between songs may work well in concert, but here it lessens the impact of Berman’s suite, as does Ryan’s understated playing, which has too little flexibility in some of the lyrical passages and provides too little drama in the disturbing ones.


Hans Krása is best known as the composer of the children’s opera Brundibar . His sophisticated Five Songs , op. 4, composed before his imprisonment, have imaginative melodic lines and nimble word-setting, especially in the final song, set to a text by the clever German poet Christian Morgenstern, and is engagingly sung by Holzmair. Viktor Ullmann’s Der Mensch und sein Tag is a cycle of 12 songs set to aphoristic German texts by Hans Günther Adler, a Terezín inmate who survived and preserved Ullmann’s manuscripts in England. The poetry is contemplative, and Ullmann excelled at composing lyrical melodies in a free, atonal style. Holzmair is at his very best in introspective material and he sings them with great sensitivity. The Three Songs , op. 37, by Ullmann were revised at Terezín, and employ marching music in a sardonic Mahlerian manner. Gideon Klein’s Three Songs , op. 1 (in Czech), were composed in 1940 prior to his imprisonment, and they were already the work of a skilled composer. Klein (1919–1945) was a child prodigy and considered the composer from the Terezín group most likely to have had a major career, had he lived. The songs inhabit the same harmonic, expressive world as the music of Alban Berg. Along with Ullmann’s Der müde Soldat , they represent the disc’s most adventurous music. Klein’s moving version of a Hebrew lullaby sets a simple folk song against troubled, complex harmony. The little-known Zikmund Schul is represented by one touching German song. Ilse Weber was a children’s author, not a composer, and Holzmair recites her poem Ich Wandre Durch Theresienstadt.


All of these songs are composed with considerable craft and inspiration and they repay repeated listening. Much of the material has almost never been recorded before, making this an extremely valuable release. At this stage of his career, Holzmair is a consummate Lieder singer with impeccable phrasing and German diction. He reminds me of Ernst Haefliger or Gerard Souzay, master singers who compensated for somewhat unlovely vocal quality at times with good breath control, fine legato, and overall musical intelligence.


Incidentally, Holzmair and Russell Ryan can be heard along with the exciting mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck on another recent Bridge release of songs by Schreker, and Haselböck is also featured on an excellent new Bridge CD of songs by Zemlinsky. Thanks to this fine American label for their commitment to making all of this obscure (and beautiful) German Lieder available in first-rate performances and excellent sound.


FANFARE: Paul Orgel

This fascinating release is performed by low horn virtuoso, Denise Tryon, the fourth hornist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. As a player of fourth horn, Ms. Tryon is an expert in the lowest regions of the French Horn's range, and her disc features newly commissioned compositions that feature this area of the horn's register. Played alongside older works for both solo horn and horn with piano, this recording makes for a most enjoyable sonic journey in colors rarely encountered on the horn. Ms. Tryon's musicality and virtuosity is a pleasure to hear throughout. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra writes that “Denise Tryon’s command of the lower register provides the strongest foundation of sound for a horn section, and yet, her sound is supple and flexible.”

This is a brilliant recital, one that reveals just about every facet of Shostakovich's musical personality in terms of his writing for piano. The novelty for most listeners will be Dances of the Dolls, yet another arrangement of numbers from his film and ballet music, aimed at younger players. Somehow these tunes sound even more charming and witty in their keyboard guise, and Melvin Chen's clean and rhythmically snappy approach lets their puckish humor speak for itself. Both the Aphorisms and the First Sonata reveal the young, modernist Shostakovich, the latter work in particular. Once again Chen manages to give shape and meaning to music that can sound merely noisy, but he does it without sacrificing the music's aggressiveness or impetuosity.

With the Second Sonata we encounter the mature composer around the time of the Second World War, when he was creating some of his finest large works. This sonata never has caught on, partly on account of its typically spare textures, but more likely because it's a very large work (nearly 30 minutes) that ends quietly and enigmatically. Certainly it does not sound in any way lacking in content here. Chen keeps the music interesting, particularly in the long variation finale, which has plenty of contrast and seems perfectly paced. This is music that, given time and a fine performance like this one, will grow on you. So if you like Shostakovich but have not yet warmed to his piano music, try this superbly played and recorded CD. I suspect it will win you over.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Excellent, fresh, dramatic, thoughtful.

When a young pianist aspires to challenge the great "stars" of the past and the present, he probably can't do any better than to record a coupling of Schumann's Carnaval and Kreisleriana. For all the great ones did them and have left a rich legacy of reference recordings. What can I say - the great ones will have to move a little and make a place for the newcomer! Vassily Primakov's interpretation goes straight to the top tier.

I never was a huge fan of Schumann's Carnaval: it seemed to contain more pretence than substance. Primakov's testimony has swayed my opinion a lot. His Carnaval is thoughtful, balanced, beautifully played. He does not emphasize one single side of the music, and does not disregard "less interesting" parts. As a result, they are not "less interesting" any more. The pianist boldly removes the golden dust from Schumann's elegant creation, and it emerges strikingly modern, as if the whole event took place in a contemporary ballroom.

The cycle opens under full steam, but without hurry. This marks out the entire album: Primakov never goes for bang-bang virtuosity, but lets the music sing, and gives us big Romantic waves upon which to surf. Pierrot turns out to be quite an essay on character: a little spooky, akin to Mussorgsky's Gnome from the Pictures. Eusebius does not dissolve into thin air, as it does in some other recordings. I never heard a more alive, sympathetic and coquettish Coquette. Rubato is used freely but is very natural. Even "transitional" items like Réplique or Reconnaissance are presented as miniature masterpieces. Chiarina does not have a single note pushed too hard, and with such careful handling it shines with even greater beauty. But what completely swept me off my feet was the dreamy, pastel-toned Chopin. The waltzes lilt and sway, Paganini rocks, and Colombina has a first-class quarrel with her Pantalon. Finally, the Davidsbündler unite in their grand final waltz-march, with all the fireworks and bravura you could wish for. I never cared for Carnaval. After listening to Primakov, I think that I love it.

Kreisleriana. There is no pretence here. This is one of the great masterpieces of musical history: a gripping self-portrait of one of its most eccentric and ingenious composers. And here, again, Primakov does not disappoint. About almost every Kreisleriana that I have heard, I have had some reservation. It was either too dry (Kempff) or too watery (Pollini), too reckless (Argerich) or too pushed (Wirssaladze). Sometimes the fingerwork was unsteady, even with giants like Horowitz or Cherkassky. Often, instead of hearing the music you heard the fingers. But I find nothing to pinpoint on this disc. Every note, even in the most dense passages, is placed with perfect accuracy. There is an effect of three-dimensionality, well aided by the excellent recording quality. The fast passages are appropriately demonic, the slow ones are lyric, and the overall impression is ultimately dramatic.

And finally, Arabeske. Can something new be said here? Apparently, yes. Just compare the times. Horowitz - 6'18". Pollini - 6'24". Primakov - 8'02". It does not sound slow. It seems as if the pianist has rebuilt the piece from its elements, transforming the rondo-romance into a fantasy. Every episode has its face. The A minor episode receives an unexpected tango flavor. And the ending, which usually seems rather poorly attached to the whole, is suddenly natural. The tempo is very much alive, and soft rubato makes the music breathe. I won't say that this reading discards the great and the good of old: but it definitely offers a very interesting alternative view.

I had not heard Vassily Primakov before; but on this evidence he is equipped with both a deep intuitive understanding of the music, and the power to bring this understanding to life. You rarely hear so much thought behind each note. And he is not afraid to do things his way. So, don't think "Oh, please, not another Carnaval! I already have three Kreislerianas!" You want new things? This is fresh. I hope he plans to record more Schumann!

The recording quality is excellent, and the extensive notes by Malcolm MacDonald are high literature. My Recording of the Month, definitely.

-- Oleg Ledeniov, Musicweb International

The distinguished baritone Randall Scarlata regularly performs the German song repertoire with pianists including Cameron Stowe, Jeremy Denk, Jonathan Biss, Inon Barnatan, Laura Ward and Gilbert Kalish. Mr. Scarlata is a regular guest with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Northwest, and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival. Gilbert Kalish's profound influence on the musical community as pianist and educator has established him as a major figure in American music making. His recordings for Bridge Records include his memorable partnership with the mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani and a recent solo album of music by Schubert, Beethoven and Haydn. Here, he tackles a well-known favorite in the Lied repertoire: Franz Schubert’s Winterreise.

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REVIEW:

As a stirring and elevating musical experience, as opposed to one that is harrowing, I find Scarlata’s Winterreise utterly compelling. This is an alternative to performances that leave your nerves jangling, and I love it. I could listen to this man serenade me all day. Gilbert Kalish is equally wonderful.

– Fanfare

The superb Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio is heard in all of Schubert's music for Piano Trio- the two great masterpieces (the B-flat and E-flat Trios), as well as the rarely played "Sonatensatz" and Notturno. In addition, Sharon Robinson and Joseph Kalichstein perform the lovely "Arpeggione" Sonata. This specially priced release includes notes by Schubert specialist, Malcolm MacDonald.

 

It is the rare artist that can take away one’s breath by conjuring the composer’s spirit and sound world through sheer visceral involvement with the music. Such is the case with Inon Barnatan’s heartbreaking and poetic rendering of Schubert’s second set of Impromptus, D. 935, the masterpiece that opens the 27-year old Israeli pianist’s debut CD recording. Inon Barnatan is a rising star among pianists of the younger generation. Barnatan’s recent seasons have included appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, Salla Verdi in Milan, the Royal Festival, Queen Elizabeth and Wigmore Halls in London, the Musilverein in Vienna and the Salle Gaveau in Paris. In past seasons Barnatan has made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de las Suisse Romande, Jerusalem Symphony, and numerous other ensembles. He has been invited by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to join the Society’s “Chamber Music Society Two” for the next two seasons.

Born in 1979, Inon Barnatan began playing the piano at the age of 4, making his orchestral debut at age 11. A student of Maria Curcio, he has also received coaching by Leon Fleisher, Radu Lupu, Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, Claude Frank, Menahem Pressler, and Christoph Eschenbach. Barnatan was a prizewinner in the Clara Haskil, Leeds, Porto and Rubinstein competitions, and was the winner of the Classical Recording Foundation’s “2005 Young Artist of the Year” award. This debut CD, a part of Barnatan’s CRF Award, also includes Schubert’s immortal masterpiece- the Sonata in B-flat, D. 960.

R E V I E W S:

Sensitivity, poise and focus – here we have a born Schubertian

"Disarming criticism, 27-year-old Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan tells us in his accompanying note that while entering a formidably competitive field his Schubert has its own voice and validity. Indeed it does. His Impromptus have a special gravity and sensitivity, allowing him to weave his way through every kaleidoscopic mood with a special skill and commitment. What winning ease and naturalness, too, in the A flat Impromptu and how admirable to hear the theme played with such poise and focus instead of a more familiar and damaging telescoping of the rhythm. Elsewhere every detail is touched in yet without a hint of idiosyncrasy or mannerism...In the Impromptus, in particular, Barnatan is a born Schubertian..." -- Bryce Morrison, Gramophone