Classical Music

It is difficult to overstate the breadth of contribution of Anton Rubinstein to the development of the Russian culture in the 19th century. His multifaceted genius can be divided into three areas- Rubinstein the composer, the pianist, and the educator. In this first release in the series of recordings of his works for piano and orchestra, we focus on Rubinstein’s role as an educator. The album brings into light the effect Rubinstein had on the advancement of the Russian musical style in the 19th and 20th centuries. Hailed by The New York Times as a pianist of “a fiery sensibility and warm touch,” Anna Shelest is an international award-winning pianist who has thrilled the audiences she’s been in front of all over the world. Born in Ukraine, she began her studies at the age of six, and at the age of eleven she performed at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Her repertoire ranges from the Baroque to today’s contemporary composers. She has a particular affinity for Russian piano literature. Having received her Masters Degree at The Juilliard School, Anna Shelest currently resides in New York City with her husband and two sons. The Orchestra Now is group of vibrant young musicians from across the globe who are making orchestral music relevant to 21st century audiences. Hand-picked from the world’s leading conservatories, the members of TON are not only thrilling audiences with their critically acclaimed performances, but also enlightening curious minds by giving on stage demonstrations.

Sorel Classics is proud to present a debut recording of Brazilian Piano Music, performed by renowned pianist Grace Alves. Rio de Janeiro: the quintessential Brazilian city, it carries in its art the expression of the national soul. The national capital for two centuries, Rio has remained the cultural center of the country, and virtually all classical music and musicians of Brazil are in some way connected to the life of the city, especially during the what could arguably be called its Golden Age, teh first half of the 20th century. The program on Keys to Rio is above all a personal presentation of works by Brazilian composers including compositions by Ernesto Nazareth, Chiquinha Gonzaga, Marlos Nobre, Oriano de Almeida and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Pianist Anna Shelest was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She began studying piano at six years old, and later attended the Kharkiv Special Music School for Gifted Children, where she studied under Sergei Polusmiak and Gary Gelfgat. A multi-award winning artist, she won her first competition when she was only eleven at the Milosz Magin International Piano Competition. She has since gone on to win the Louisiana International Piano Competition, Kawai American Recording Contest, Bradshaw-Buono International Piano Competition New York, and many more. Recorded in the Czech Republic in 2014, this release features Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2. These works were written early on in Prokofiev’s career, and feature his virtuosic and wildly dissonant style which caused his first leap into fame.

Review quote:

"Prokofiev, himself a virtuoso, wanted to make sure that the piano part stood out, and where he recesses the accompaniment or provides cadenzas and solo passages Shelest’s playing is very present in audio terms. Considering his ambition to be considered a Modernist the equal of Stravinsky, I think Prokofiev came closest in his concertos, one genre where Stravinsky wasn’t dominant. Prokofiev’s piano writing remains fresh and powerful to this day, and Shelest can be proud of her achievement in exploiting every gesture to its fullest. Slimline cardboard packaging, and very readable program notes." - Huntley Dent, Fanfare

MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition. GLINKA The Lark. TCHAIKOVSKY Romances: in f; in F. Waltzes: in A?; in f?. Nocturne in F • Anna Shelest (pn) • SHELEST 47553 (66:32)


The spate of new recordings of Pictures at an Exhibition continues unabated, there having been eight new recordings of the piano original added to my archive since I wrote my first Fanfare review of Michael Seewann’s traversal of the work in November of 2010. That averages out to two new piano versions per month. It would seem fair to state that Pictures has achieved “rite of passage” status among up-and-coming pianists, as well as among down-and-going pianists, and even middle-and-stagnating pianists.


Ukrainian-born Anna Shelest is definitely in the “up-and-coming” group. She was the youngest-ever prizewinner of the Milosz Magin International Piano Competition at the tender age of 11. Since then, she has studied with Jerome Lowenthal, won a lot of contests (Bradshaw-Buono, Louisiana International, Kawai American, Corpus Christi International, etc.), soloed with a lot of orchestras, and received a lot of critical acclaim (a “female reincarnation of Liszt,” a “piano lioness,” etc.), to which I shall add some of my own, although it will be a slightly qualified rave.


Shelest’s approach to Pictures is bold and extroverted. At one time I might have dared to say “masculine,” but I suppose in this day and age, I couldn’t get by with such a characterization. Because of the nature of this work, such an approach is appropriate most of the time. Her rendition of “Byd?o,” to cite one example, really induces the listener to hear oxen lumbering and straining under their burdens. Similarly, in “Great Gate,” her extroverted playing reinforces the grandeur of the movement as the apotheosis of the entire suite. I also very much like her rhythmic license in “Goldenberg” and forceful dispatch of the final eighth notes in measures 22 and 23, serving to show Goldenberg’s utter disdain for his poor cousin Schmuÿle. “Gnomus” is filled with wonderful dynamic contrasts, just the way it should be. The more delicate sections, such as the second promenade or “Il vecchio castello,” are subtly nuanced in a most effective way. Her slight hesitations here and there in the theme of “Tuilleries” suggest the impetuousness of youth. These and dozens of other touches combine to make this a superior reading of the work.


Nevertheless, Shelest falters in a few places: Her “Ballet of Unhatched Chicks,” with her bold approach, sounds more like a ballet of fully-grown chickens. It’s deftly played, but just too heavy-handed. Parts of “Gnomus,” particularly the trilled section beginning in measure 72, don’t sound menacing enough to me. Shelest uses a measured tremolo in “Cum mortuis” rather than the unmeasured one employed by a majority of pianists. The 32nd-note markings of the passage can legitimately be interpreted either way, but a fast, unmeasured tremolo produces more mystery in the piece. In “Limoges,” she omits the sforzandi in measures 2 and 4, and other similar places, a failing since these markings emphasize the animated and breathless nature of the gossip that is being portrayed in this picture.


Perhaps the thing that caught me most by surprise in Shelest’s rendition comes in measure 21 of “Catacombs.” In some editions, there is no tie in the low A between that and the preceding measure (it is in the autograph), but Shelest not only foregoes the tie, but changes the bass pitch to G, which is a reading not in any of the 10 different editions I own. This doesn’t sound bad, but mind you, it is what a composer possessed with less genius than Mussorgsky would have done, as the G then matches the chord above it. By sustaining the A through that measure and two beats of the following one, Mussorgsky maintains suspense that is finally relieved in very dramatic fashion on beat 3 of measure 22.


These and a few other things are all relatively minor shortcomings, to be sure, but cumulatively prevent me from ranking this version in the very top echelon of recordings of Pictures. Still, it is certainly worth hearing by Pictures enthusiasts.


I admit that I’m considerably easier to please on any piano piece outside of Pictures at an Exhibition, and Shelest pleases me very much in the other Russian pieces on this disc. The bold and assertive treatment she brings to Mussorgsky is not heard in these other pieces, where it would be much less appropriate. The very Lisztian Lark by Glinka, arranged by Balakirev, is a good case in point. Its delicate opening calls for tender restraint, which is exactly what Shelest provides. Later, in its cadenza-like flourishes, she ramps up the drama, but only according to the demands of the music. Likewise, her delineation of the style of the lyric opening of Tchaikovsky’s Romance in F Minor against the trepak-like middle section sounds exactly right, as does her minimal pedaling in his Waltz in A?. Shelest is in her element in the rhapsodic Romance in F Major, bringing improvisatory-like freedom to her conception of the piece. In the very unwaltz-like Waltz in F?-Minor, with its lyrical question and staccato answer, the listener is brought into the dialogue that is going on in the piece. Tchaikovsky’s Nocturne in F Major is constructed upon gentle repeated chords, to which Shelest brings just the right amount of separation, again exercising caution in her pedaling.


This is, then, a most satisfying recital, with decent recorded piano sound. There are no notes provided about the music, but only about the performer, an indication (among others) that the CD is self-published to promote the artist. I have no issue, however, with a young woman possessing talent—and lots of it—making her talent known and accessible to others. I’m not sure where else it may be found, but this CD is easily available through Shelest’s website, annashelest.com.


FANFARE: David DeBoor Canfield

In their new release Tango Fado Duo, guitarist Pedro H. da Silva and bandoneonist Daniel Binelli explore the relationship between the sensuality of Argentine tango and the passion of Portuguese fado, interweaving the traditional sounds of their respective instruments. Although tango and fado originate from two distant countries and differ in rhythm and instrumentation, they are closely related in harmony, melody, and lyrical themes. Internationally renowned composer, arranger and master of the bandoneon, Argentine musician Daniel Binelli tours extensively in concert and recital. Binelli is also widely acclaimed as the foremost exponent of the music of Astor Piazzolla. Binelli is the Musical Director of the Tango Metropolis Company, which was featured in the PBS documentary Tango: The Spirit of Argentina and in a BBC documentary on Astor Piazzolla's life. Pedro H. da Silva is an award-winning composer, guitarist, educator, and multi-instrumentalist whose umerous accolades include the 2015 ASCAP Plus Award. A professor of composition and classical guitar at New York University, da Silva is the Music Director of the Manhattan Camerata, which he co-founded with his wife, the composer and pianist Luc�a Caruso.

The present release is a commemorative edition of two albums by the pianist Claudette Sorel featuring selected works for solo piano and three American Piano Concerti. Claudette Sorel was one of America’s most notable female pianists of all time. Born in 1932 in Paris, upon the Nazi invasion of France she moved with her family to New York, where she studied at the Juilliard School with Olga Samaroff-Stokowski. She was renowned throughout her live as a brilliant pianist, educator, author, philanthropist, and advocate for women in music. “Claudette Sorel is in the front-rank of American pianists... She has spirit, tone and technique. She can just about make the piano sit up and do tricks... Her playing has amazing personality.” (Harold C. Schonberg, The New York Times)

This new release features works for solo piano by female composers from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries, performed by Anna Shelest. Hailed by The New York Times as a pianist of “a fiery sensibility and warm touch,” Anna Shelest is an international award-winning pianist who has thrilled audiences throughout the world. An “effective collaborator” (The New York Times), Anna made her orchestral debut at the age of twelve with the Kharkiv Symphony Orchestra, playing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Since then she has been a soloist with some of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Montreal Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and Estonian National Symphony, among others. Born in Ukraine, she received her early music education at Kharkiv Special Music School. Since graduating from The Juilliard School with a Masters Degree in the class of Jerome Lowenthal, Anna has made her home in New York City with her husband and two sons.

It is difficult to overstate the breadth of contribution of Anton Rubinstein to the development of the Russian culture in the 19th century. His multifaceted genius can be divided into three areas- Rubinstein the composer, the pianist, and the educator. In this second release in the series of recordings of his works for piano and orchestra, we focus on Rubinstein’s role as a composer. Hailed by The New York Times as a pianist of “a fiery sensibility and warm touch,” Anna Shelest is an international award-winning pianist who has thrilled audiences throughout the world. Champion of esoteric repertoire, Anna is collaborating with legendary conductor Neeme Jarvi on this project, which will eventually record the complete works for piano and orchestra by Anton Rubinstein. The first album in the set was released in 2018 to critical acclaim.

The present release features Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61 and Wilhelm Stenhammar's Two Sentimental Romances, Op.28 performed by Triin Ruubel with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi. Triin Ruubel is an Estonian violinist who performs throughout Europe as a soloist and a chamber musician. Since April 2015 she holds the position of concertmaster of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (principal conductor and artistic director Neeme J�rvi). Born to a musical family in Tallinn, she began her first violin lessons at the age of six and entered the Tallinn Music High School. She received her Artist Diploma in Germany at the Hochschule f�r Musik und Theater Rostock, in the class of Prof. Petru Munteanu.