Superb!
David J. Ohanlon | Lilyfield, NSW Australia | 08/03/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've always highly admired Alperin's piano style, dancing, atmospheric, brooding & menacing all at once. On this disc, ably supported on mainly alternating tracks by Arkady Shilkoper on French Horn/Flugelhorn & Anja Lechner on Cello, Alperin basically "brings it all home" with every piece being engaging, intelligent & not at all predictable.
The best example of this is probably the title track where one might expect some depiction of either a stumbling, bumbling debutant or a wide-eyed girl having "the time of her life". Yet the mood is one of anxiety & assuredness in equal measure with the ending leaving you guessing exactly what "Her First Dance" will lead to.
Most tracks are in that spacy, downbeat ECM style but Alperin is such a master of his craft that his trills in the upper register are a particular delight and you're virtually hanging off every note.
On an album this good it's almost superfluous to nominate a standout track but Tiflis, which is the only full Trio track, is magnificent.
5 big stars!"