The "Lyric Pieces" by Edvard Grieg have long formed part of standard repertoire for musical recitals in the home; they were also excellent encores when pianists wished...

The "Lyric Pieces" by Edvard Grieg have long formed part of standard repertoire for musical recitals in the home; they were also excellent encores when pianists wished to thank their audience with a poetic gesture. In this recording, Hideyo Harada recalls the important tradition of these "songs without words" to memory.

Out of the total of 66 "Lyric Pieces" composed by Grieg in the course of his life, Hideyo Harada has selected 22 and arranged them into a drama of subtle shifts and abrupt contrasts, into a tale of timbres, musical forms, and characters. In the groups of pieces as well as in each piece itself, Hideyo Harada maintains the dramatic tension which is the heart of Romantic musical poetry: And thus each piece is self-consistent and logical, clearly formed and yet with its own characteristics and with a quasi-visual force of presence.

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Harada, a Japanese native who finished her training in Stuttgart, Vienna, and Moscow, plays with a tonal polish and technical élan that emphasizes the prettiness of the music (which is there aplenty), but her readings are not superficial; and she can dig in and reveal grit as the material demands. This is all good, because her playing is very much under the microscope, sonically speaking. To put it simply, this is one of the most beautiful sounding piano recordings I have ever heard.

--Fanfare

The notes for this disc by pianist Hideyo Harada of Grieg's Lyric Pieces describes her performance as "a poetry reading in music...a dramatic arrangement, with subtle shifts and abrupt contrast, with hues, forms, and characters." Fortunately for her, she backs that claim up with a thoroughly convincing and satisfying recital. Harada certainly has the virtuoso technique to accomplish it. Her poise, balance, and articulation are essentially flawless, and her sheer speed is often quite breathtaking. Though her attack can be overwhelming, her touch can also be soft and her tone is always subtle. Also, Harada's arrangement of these 22 pieces excerpted from 10 separate volumes has the subliminal yet palpable narrative to sustain it. Her program's ebb, flow, and swell describe the rise, fall, and triumph of an incredibly intense emotional experience that, whatever it may be, can only be represented in music. Any one piece at random is affecting, several in a row are moving, and the whole disc from start to finish is absolutely cathartic. Audite's super audio sound is as intimate as a whisper.

--AllMusic.com