An American Mirage - An American Tour de Force!
Robert D. Moon | Marlboro, NY USA | 05/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Those of us who love great piano performances haven't had too much Romantic American fare to choose from for quite a long time. That has changed!
Ruthanne Schempf has imparted a particular love and passion for this genre of music that could easily let it be reborn. She has given a most creative & artful performance! Here are my impressions.
The Piano Sonata by Charles Griffes. Powerful romanticism here with wonderful melody in the first movement and a 'finale' to the second movement that will take your breath away with its requirement to display a fiery technique right to the end. Just gorgeous! And the third movement is quite sensuous in the way Ruthanne lets it flow; very captivating. An underplayed work, for sure.
The etudes by E.W. Nevin are what I would call special. Etudes are often beautifully written study pieces to develop the art and technique of those performing them. These are often beautiful works which are all too often enjoyed only by performers and teachers. Including them on this CD was a wise decision. This is music that can pull you into the score and let you dream to it while the "Romance" develops and the "Scherzo" offers a whimsical but tasteful diversion. Very nice, indeed!
Chances are that you, as myself, have never heard the "Five Poems" by Arthur Foote. What a beautiful setting for these works. As a group, I would say they are phenomenal. They would be equally at home arranged for orchestra or wind ensemble. But these are for solo piano and I hope you will enjoy them every bit as much as I did! They progress from ethereal ("grazioso"), then to emotions running from one extreme to another in the ("allegro deciso"), giving a nice contrast in themes. The next ("quasi marcia") opens your mind to a pastoral scene of your choosing and then seems to stretch your mind's eye to a distant horizon and then pulls you back. A personally engaging piece. Musical poetry probably best describes the fourth section ("comodo"). The last section ("mesto") really evokes what you expect to hear in romanitic classical music. Beautiful melody, shrouded in mist and a bit of mystery, but evoking beauty and treating us to music of a time now too often forgotten. A pity; it's so relaxing.
Amy Beach wrote a number of interesting and technically sound works for piano. The two works featured here, demonstrating a Hermit Thrush in the evening and the next work describes its morning routine. You get a feeling of loneliness in the "At Evening;" a sense of wistfulness. Very loose and flowing in content. It has the character of a two-paned portrait. The companion piece ("At Morn") is a quiet, calm piece. You can almost feel the forest life slowly stirring. I would have maybe liked a little more content on this but it fits well to the "At Evening."
Ah. The Woodland Sketches. Many of us were exposed to this work at a fairly early age. It was a required piece in many local contests and recitals. And, where I grew up, the "Will O' the Wisp" was often omitted because of its difficulty. I hope you will listen to the Sketches in order of their appearance so that you can better appreciate the wonderful presentation of the second movement given on this CD! Great artistry & great fun! An artful innocence with almost frenzied excitement. I just love it!
The Piano Variations by Aaron Copland I would tend to place as a performers piece. It requires the pianist to display a highly developed technique and artistry as well as a thorough appreciation on making all of those dissonant chords come across as music and help them become almost a form unto themselves. Having said that, it will require some patience on my part to fully appreciate this work. But that's my shortcomings. I can't fault the performance. Her technique was flawless and Ruthanne's ability to control those awkward phrases has to be heard to be believed. This is a wonderful performance! It is only me that must learn to appreciate it more! Bravo to the artist!
My impression of the entire album was that it is artful, filled with passion and eminently musical! All that anyone could want. This really is an overdue presentation of music that just doesn't get enough performance time any more. A well earned "Bravo" to Ruthanne Schempf! I sincerely enjoyed this album and hope she does many more!"
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1