Search - Soler, Hinrichs :: Piano Sonatas

The spirit of Padre Soler

John P. Rickert | 10/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a thoughtful and very Spanish playing of Soler's sonatas that especially brings out their depth and beauty. Although Padre Soler has some remarkable sonatas in major keys, he undoubtedly excels in the minor ones and in the modes that resemble them such as the Dorian. There is a preponderence of such works on this disk, which I greatly appreciate, and this brings out Soler's true spirit more than some other disks. (As excellent as Scott Ross' Scarlatti is, for example, his Soler is a disappointment.) I am also grateful for the slow tempos. Hinrichs is quite good technically and can play fast whenever she wants, but the reflective, philosophical pace she has on many of the sonatas is really just right. I have some of these works on other disks, and they do not show nearly the same depth if played too fast or in too frivolous a manner. The music really shows the unflinching, vigorous vitality and passionate soul of Spanish Catholicism."

A Sophisticated Player of Sensuous Spanish Music

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 09/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Soler was almost half a century younger than Domenico Scarlatti with whom he is most often compared. Indeed he studied with Scarlatti. But he came along at a time when the contrapuntal baroque style was giving way to the oncoming 'style galant' (sometimes called 'rococo') and thus there is less counterpoint. He is Spanish through and through and the Spanish melorhythms are apparent in all he wrote. Much of the music on this CD is gently melancholic and in minor keys, although there are a number of faster, brighter pieces.I had never heard of Marie-Luise Hinrichs but I'm wondering why. This woman is a superb pianist. The thing that strikes one first is her touch; she has a striking ability to coax lovely tone from her piano, and she possesses a velvety legato when required. Her playing has a sensuosity with no need to be propped up by speedy virtuosity, although she certainly has keyboard technique to spare. Another way of saying this is that she is making music, not showing off. I had thought until I recently began exploring the music of Soler that he was a second-rate composer. But this CD, along with a couple by Isidro Barrio (who apparently specializes in Soler's music), have convinced me otherwise. Although the pieces were almost certainly written for harpsichord (and Scott Ross recorded some of it beautifully on that instrument), I find that Soler's music comes across better for me on the piano. But then I'm an old broken down pianist still in love with the sound of the instrument, so take that for what it's worth. At any rate, I recommend this CD strongly.Scott Morrison"

Music to your ears !

Wolfgang B. Liedtke | Durham, North Carolina, USA | 04/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I met Marie-Luise Hinrichs at a performance in New York City several years ago, on the campus of The Rockefeller University on the Upper East Side, where - every Friday at noon - there is a wonderful concert in Caspary Hall, oftentimes artists "warming up" for a weekend recital at Carnegie Hall or the Lincoln Center.

The audience at Rockefeller, myself included, is pretty picky about whom to truly applaud. Then Marie-Luise played. What can I say ? She played her heart out and - taking no prisoner - captured the hearts of the audience, mine included, in a whiff ! She is a true artist, through and through, who can mesmerize an audience with her love for the music that she brings alive on the key-board, like those beautiful pieces that Padre Antonio composed. What did he feel when he wrote that music ? You get a little closer to that answer when you listen to Marie-Luise playing Soler.

- I agree with the other reviewers that I do not really understand why we have not heard more about her. Along these lines: Waiting for more releases of Marie-Luise and for amazon to put her recordings back into the line-up !"