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The Italian Invasion

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Next up, Roberto Prosseda's Liszt year contribution, the second Annee, Italie, sans Venezia e Napoli, along with the Deux Legendes and Ave Maria. Prosseda's Liszt is comparatively swift and light, with a heavier emphasis on lyricism than unabashed virtuosic flights of fancy. To be sure, the Dante Sonata is dashed off nicely and has many lovely moments, but, depending on what one is looking or listening for, it lacks the drama or passion or intensity of some other versions. Perhaps not surprisingly, the three Petrarch Sonnets all fare quite well from Prosseda's approach. The Legendes come off quite nicely, though the first's light swiftness removes any mystery. That may or may not be a good thing. The Ave Maria makes for a fine enough closer. All told, I would have preferred to have Venezia e Napoli, but whatcha gonna do?

Compared to UMG Italy stablemates Prosseda lacks the effortless, purposeful virtuosity of Albanese, or the more impassioned playing of Baglini, but he nonetheless delivers a satisfying Liszt recital.

Superb sound.



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Last set from this batch, Bahrami's take on the English Suites. Like in his previous outings, Bahrami tends to play swiftly, with nice articulation, and solid rhythm. His dynamic range, as recorded, is a bit limited, but not enough to detract from the music. I could have done with a bit more rubato and flexibility, but the seriousness of purpose has its appeal, too. The third suite stands out as the best of the lot here, with Bahrami playing with a high level of energy that really benefits the Prelude and Gavottes. Not the best set available, perhaps, but very good.

Very good sound, though, as with other releases in the series, a bit higher in level than normal.


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The first of four discs from Italian pianist Alessandra Ammara. Mrs Prosseda leaves to her husband production and liner notes, and focuses on the playing. Like her husband in some of his recordings, she uses a Fazioli F278 recorded in Fazioli Hall for this Debussy disc, all but guaranteeing SOTA sound, which proves to be the case.

Right from the outset, Ammara proves to be a pianist enamored of fine details. Her first book of the Images is on the leisurely side. She lets some notes and chords linger longer than normal. She deploys a personal rubato to good effect. Her dynamic gradations are super-fine, and the Fazioli bass adds heft, while, as seems to be the case with this venue, the Fazioli's upper registers are more lustrous than biting. Her lanquid Images are sonically sumptuous almost to the point of fin de siècle decadence, and never more so than in Mouvement, which is played slow to the point of beautiful exaggeration. A fine start.

The first book of Preludes picks up the pace a bit, but Ammara again deploys rubato to good effect, and will hold some notes for good effect. Dynamic gradations become more important yet. There's plenty of lower register heft present - enough to rattle the CD racks in some spots - but her piano and pianissimo playing is gorgeous and delicate and colorful. On the flip side, in Ce qu'a vu le vent d'Ouest and a comparatively swift, taut, and muscular La cathedrale engloutie, Ammara shows she can play with deft speed and force just as well.

The disc ends with a super finely played Nocturne, with some delicately zesty diminuendo right hand playing of special note.

A most successful first disc from this pianist for me, and one that makes me want to try the other three discs I have rather quickly, and it also makes me hope that she completes a Debussy cycle.


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A twofer of Gianluca Cascioli playing Debussy. First, the gimmicks. Gimmick One: This Japanese market release from Universal Music Italia, recorded in Italy, is issued on two SHM-CDs. I didn't pay the typical premium for this feature, so it's a nice enough irrelevant bonus, lest one believe these red book discs can somehow sound better than regular CDs. Gimmick Two: Each track was recorded in a single take. No splicing and dicing here. Gimmick Three: The 2005 recordings are both analog and digital. All of the playing was recorded using both technologies, and the artist and producer selected the best for each track. Hiss on 2005 vintage recordings is an unusual thing.

Now to the playing. Cascioli plays much quicker than Ammara did in her take on Book I. Cascioli's playing sounds more modernist and lithe, though he manages to coax beautiful sounds from his Fabbrini Steinway. Rhythm is bouncier and more pronounced, and there is definitely a sense of liveliness that is no doubt partly the result of the second gimmick. Some of the interpretive choices can be viewed as bold, or perhaps misguided, or perhaps something else. In Le vent dans le plaine, for instance, Cascioli front-loads some arpeggios to slightly disconcerting but not displeasing effect. Some of the playing in Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir sounds nervously rushed and the left hand dominates the slightly muddy recording. (That at least two recordings of the piece were available means that the parties involved were happy with this one.) La cathedrale engloutie starts off slow, with sharp, flinty right hand chords that sound Ravelian, but then transitions to faster, somewhat blunter playing, and builds to a not entirely satisfying climax, devoid of scale and heft, though the recorded perspective is recital hall realistic. Again, those involved with the project were presumably satisfied with what was committed to disc sonically. Minstrels is extra-bouyant and plucky and makes for an excellent end to the first book. The second book of Images follows. Cloches a travers les fueilles sounds lovely but cold and flat, and it seems as if Cascioli is at sea musically a couple of times, or at least playing without affect or any interpretive insight. The somewhat cool, flat demeanor carries forward to Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut, but some of that appealing bright, flinty right hand playing reappears. Poissons d'or, to the extent it evokes fish imagery, evokes rather Picassoesque notions of fish, with some blocky left hand chords tossed into the mix, though Cascioli can make the piano shimmer when he wants to. D'un cahier d'esquisses continues on with the somewhat flat style, and finally the first disc closes with the Duex Arabesques. Cascioli seems to not want to let the music just flow, interrupting with rubato that almost sounds Russell Shermanesque at times. I don't mean that as a negative statement really, but there are more purely beautiful renditions out there, though Cascioli's playing is not at all ugly.

The second disc opens with the second book of Preludes. Cascioli's approach better suits the music, and he moves from relative strength to relative strength. Les fées sont d'exquises danseuses jumps to life, for instance, and Feux d'artifice, rather than exploding, glides along effortlessly until it peaks in the climax and then fades away. Children's Corner follows, and it ends up being the relatively best thing on the disc. Generally swift and light, Cascioli infuses the playing with a sense of playfulness to match the still modernist approach in some pieces. Golliwog's Cakewalk is delightful, as is usually the case, but the real showstopper here is The Snow is Dancing, which escapes the bounds of mere impressionism to become modern expressionism, if you will. It's really rather special. The three small pieces that close out the set - Le petit negre, Morceau de concours, and La plus que lente - all follow the same approach as the rest of the works, and work well.

Overall, the playing is definitely individual, modernist in approach, and appealing in its way, but this doesn't displace favorites, though Children's Corner may join established favorites. The sonic gimmicks ultimately don't payoff. Dynamics and clarity are simply not close to SOTA for 2005.




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Some Schumann from Alessandra Ammara. The disc starts off with Carnaval. Ammara's style is more focused on rhythm and dynamics than tonal lushness and dreamy romanticism - Florestan dominates and Eusebius takes a back seat, as do the una corda and sustain pedals. That's not to say that Ammara doesn't play slower, gentler music slow or at least occasionally gentle (Estrella could definitely be softer, for example), it's just that the faster music is better. As she did in her Debussy, Ammara deploys rubato to excellent effect, and her dynamic control can steal the show, as in the Valse Allemande. Perhaps a few times in the concluding March, one could say that Ammara becomes too mired down in the details - the exact opposite of Cortot, if you will - but that doesn't prevent a fine closer from unfolding. Not one of the great Carnavals, perhaps, but an excellent one all the same.

Davidsbündlertänze follows, and Ammara's traits remain the same, and they generally work well, but at times they become nearly overpowering - no wimpy, lilting playing this. That makes the lovely and gentle playing in movements like Einfach or Nicht Schnell all the more inviting. The dynamic contrasts are more notable in this piece, though Ammara never wallows or allows her playing to become mushy. Not one of the great Davidsbündlertänzes, perhaps, but an excellent one all the same.

CD layer sound is very close and extremely clear and to an extremely high standard, if not SOTA.



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This disc of two piano works by Guido Alberto Fano boasts two firsts for me. This is my first exposure to the music of Fano, and this is the first recording I have of a Fazioli Grand Coda, or F308. The massive piano is designed for large auditoriums, apparently. One Vitale Fano acts as producer and liner note author, indicating a labor of love and/or duty.

Fano lived from 1875 to 1961, and was a composer, pianist and teacher who worked throughout Italy. The two late romantic works presented here date from the late 1890s, the Sonata in E from 1895 to 1899, and the Quattro Fantasie from 1896, so they are the works of a young man. The disc starts with the four movement, over thirty-five minute long sonata. It is very definitely late romantic in nature, sounding big-boned (aided partly by the piano, no doubt), and the first two movements have some extended periods of introspection and occasional light flights of fancy, especially in the right hand. Pietro De Maria ends up being just the man for the job. Even on this nearly orchestral piano, De Maria coaxes lovely sound after lovely sound from the instrument, and his right hand playing is light and bubbly and almost playful. To be sure, there are some more turbulent, trying passages here and there, especially in the outer sections of the Presto and Finale, and there is a certain density to much of the writing, not that De Maria seems to have any troubles with any of it, but this is rich, full, at times relaxed romanticism. It's rather Brahmsian. So too are the Quattro Fantasie, only more so. They are unfailingly beautiful, unfolding at a relaxed pace while never sounding dull or slow, except for the last piece, which adds a bit of drive and heft to the mix. They are more satisfying than the sonata.

Overall, this is a lovely disc, one I'm glad to have heard, and once again Pietro De Maria displays his formidable pianistic talents. I doubt this ever becomes an oft spun classic for me, but it's always good to try new things. Hearing this disc, and this piano in particular, makes me hope De Maria records an Op 106 using this instrument in time for the LvB 2020 anniversary year. That could be nifty.

The sound of the live recordings is exemplary.


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Alessandra Ammara playing some late 19th Century piano music by Roffredo Caetani, godson of Franz Liszt, full time aristocrat, and sometime composer who lived from 1871 to 1961. This disc contains works written in the 1890s, so they are from the pen of a young man. The Ballata opens the disc, and this brief work is slow and subdued, and dominated by a dark hue enforced by healthy bass lines and dense textures. It sounds rather like a hybrid of early Brahms and harmonically only mildly adventurous Rachmaninoff, or perhaps, a somewhat sedated Chopin. It's not a masterpiece, but it would be at home in a drawing room recital. Four Impromptus follow, and the first injects a bit more dynamic vitality into the mix before the second retreats into a sort of heavy, dreamy pianistic noodling. The Andantino again introduces a bit of storminess into the mix, but never shakes off a sort of sense of resignation. The concluding Molto allegro is the most energetic piece, and the most influenced by Chopin, and sings and soars when compared to the prior works. The following Toccata is a bit more lively still than the preceding works, and is more texturally dense, and comes off rather well. Amped up and played quickly, it could make for a good "what's that?" type of encore. The big work here is the over forty-six minute, three movement Piano Sonata, Op 4. It's an extended, large-scaled version of the preceding music, and it is more than occasionally boring. There are certainly moments and even extended passages of intriguing music, but there are longer swathes of not paticularly interesting music. Perhaps a too-fast, overtly virtuosic approach might energize the work and make the whole more interesting than the parts, but I doubt I'll find out.

Ammara plays superbly, and here she pedals more generously than in some of her other releases, creating a rich tonal pallete and some softer edges to go with the dark hue.

Superb, fully modern sound.


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Gianluca Cascioli plays Mozart. And he records it. Cascioli is credited as being recording engineer as well as pianist, and no producer is credited, leading me to believe this was his show start to finish.

As he micromanages the recording, he micromanages the playing. K310 opens with an Allegro maestoso slower than normal. As the movement goes on, Cascioli manages to maintain an impressively even tempo overall, and he lavishes attention, maybe too much so, on every note and phrase. The playing sounds very deliberate, and there's little in the way of overt urgency or drive. The Andante cantabile is likewise a bit slow, and rather lovely, with Cascioli embellishing as he pleases. He maintains impressively even, low volume trills in places, and as in the opener, he maintains a gently relentless forward momentum at all times. It's not so much classical or romantic Mozart as it is post-modern Mozart, but with plenty of surface attractiveness intact. The very Andante-like Presto keeps up the slow, deliberate, slow-motion and relentless sound. He once again embellishes freely and deploys rubato and accents and (micro-) dynamics in a mannered way.

K333 offers more of the same, with a slower than normal opening Allegro with idiosyncratic playing throughout. Some of his accenting late in the movement really stands out. The Andante cantabile sounds lovely, slow, deliberate, yet with an unusual forward momentum all the same. In the middle section, he plays even more slowly, and plays the left hand notes with a dark, tolling sound. The Allegretto grazioso is closer to conventional, with a relaxed tempo and feel overall, though Cascioli makes sure to insert his individual touches throughout.

Cascioli includes the Prelude and Fugue, K394 in his recital. This is a work I have a couple copies of buried in complete or expanded sets of his piano works, but I basically never listen to it. As such, I came to it with basically fresh ears. Cascioli's style is more aggressive, brighter, and a bit brisker in the Prelude and quite formal, clear, steady, and well paced in the fugue, with more of that gentle relentlessness on display.

K570 closes the disc. Again, Cascioli plays the opening Allegro slower than normal, though he throws in a lovely, intellectual approximation of fun playing, and he shifts between underscoring right and left hand playing. The Adagio is stretched out to just shy of eleven minutes, with Cascioli lavishing attention on notes and phrases. The playing maintains the musical line well enough, but others can do the distended thing better (think Pogorelich), though Cascioli's playing is at its most beautiful and delicate here. The slow Allegretto is back to standard Cascioli traits, and while non-standard, they work well in his conception of the piece. It is the strongest work on the disc.

Overall, this is somewhat difficult to assess Mozart. It is highly mannered, and analytical to the Nth degree. Nothing sounds spontaneous or fresh, or light, or fun. And if some of the ideas don't really work, it's fascinating to listen to such thoroughly deconstructed Mozart.

Sound is superb, and nearly SOTA, and obviously exactly what Cascioli wanted.



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Alessandra Ammara playing Chopin. The disc opens with a loud left hand note announcing the open of the first Ballade. (Proper volume took a little bit to arrive at on first listen.) Ammara's approach is generally big and bold, and she adopts a generally brisk tempo, and throws in rubato that might be considered mannered. Her dynamic range is good, but none of the playing really sounds gentle, and at times one may long for a bit more lyricism. There are a few moments where Ammara seems to lack ideal composure, but these moments are rare. Too, she seems too studied in her approach, and she lacks the tonal and technical flexibility of Seong-Jin Cho to pull it off as successfully. The Fantasie retains the big, bold approach overall, though it sounds a bit hard and inflexible as a result. Better is the Barcarolle, which finds Ammara playing with more sensitivity and lyricism, and her rubato works well. The Op 30 Mazurkas close the disc, and they are a bit overdone from a dynamics and accents standpoint and a bit lacking in rhythmic flexibility, though they are enjoyable enough. So good, occasionally very good, Chopin, but not a disc to rival established favorites.

Sound is close and weighty and clear, but the piano tone is a bit monochrome and sometimes the upper registers are a bit metallic.
 
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I enjoyed Muzio Clementi's symphony set on Sony so much that I felt like trying at least some of his piano music. As it happens, Pietro De Maria's debut recording was of Clementi's Op 40 sonatas, so picking the right disc was a cinch. The three somewhat showy sonatas may never plumb the depths of Beethoven's contemporaneous works, but they are eminently entertaining, filled with verve and a sense of fun in the lighter, major key sonatas, and a fine sense of drama in the minor key work. The young De Maria's playing strikes me as a perfect match. He glides effortlessly along the keyboard, applying his beautiful touch with great frequency, throwing in some effective rubato, and playing with more than enough energy and strength when needed. Having heard all but one of his later recordings, he has fulfilled the promise he shows here.

Sound is near SOTA for the mid-90s, and is notably better than most of Naxos' other offerings from the era that I have heard. A peach of a disc.

I may explore more of Clementi's piano output. It sure would be helpful if Warner would reissue Maria Tipo's ten disc set, either on its own or in a big box.



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This disc marks the first time I can recall that I've heard any of Mendelssohn's Piano Quartets. The two quartets offered here, plus the world premiere recording of the brief Largo e Allegro in D minor for piano and strings, are the works of the precocious, young Mendelssohn, having been penned when he was between the ages of 11 and 15. The pieces are not heavy, ponderous, deep explorations of emotion or musical structure or theory. They are light, quite fun (No 3), and lightly dramatic (No 1) works that flow along nicely, and make for delightful entertainment. Apparently, the First was even good enough to leave a positive impression on no less a figure than Goethe when he heard it in private performance. Roberto Prosseda and the string players all do splendid work, and make what sounds like no flubs in this concert recording. And what a recording. It was made in a performance size room in Palazzo Chigi, and the room sounds quite sympathetic to chamber ensembles. There's weight and warmth and a compression effect similar to that audible in Lina Tur Bonet's recording of Biber's Mystery Sonatas. Good stuff, and sure to lift a listener's, any listener's spirits.

I don't always read liner notes, or pay much attention to them, but I feel compelled to mention the quality and detail of violist Francesco Fiore's writing here.



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As it happens, Pietro De Maria's debut recording was of Clementi's Op 40 sonatas, so picking the right disc was a cinch...... A peach of a disc.


Todd, you really should be on commission! :)

Currently enjoying the cd, which has just arrived.
 
Todd, I really enjoy the information you’ve been providing. I’ve put a few on my list, including the Fano. Thanks for taking the time.
 
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Another serendipitous "why not?" purchase from the archives of Decca Italy. This still recent recording (ca 2012) of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas by Syrian-born, ethnic Armenian, but all-Italian violinist Sonig Tchakerian is quite something. In the perhaps not ideally translated notes, the author mentions that Tchakerian says "Bach has to be set free". No, she doesn't go batty and play like a violinist version of Tzimon Barto, but within standard playing practices, playing a very nice sounding 1760 Gagliano, she plays with a very alluring rhythmic and dynamic freedom, almost always sounding fluid. Sometimes she plays gracefully, but sometimes she really digs into the music, playing with an attractive gruffness, seeming to live the music rather than merely play it. There's an energy to some of the playing that I haven't always heard in other recordings. No, she's not as precise as Christian Tetzlaff in his Virgin recording, the last version I listened to, but I prefer this recording. Maybe she doesn't quite match or beat Artur Grumiaux - how does one better perfection? - but she doesn't really need to. This is another way to play Bach, and one I really dig.

Tchakerian has recorded a variety of other works, mostly on smaller labels. She also recorded three Beethoven Violin Sonatas with Roberto Prosseda, which now is one of my unicorn CDs I will hunt for on occasion.

Sound is superb, and the Armenian church in Venice used as the recording venue is a noticeable part of the success, seeming to be just the right size and to have just the right acoustic properties.

Kick-ass.
 
Maybe she doesn't quite match or beat Artur Grumiaux - how does one better perfection? - but she doesn't really need to. This is another way to play Bach, and one I really dig.

Interesting, I love this work but am only familiar with two versions; I have Josef Suk on HMV vinyl and Grumiaux on Philips CD. I love both. I've had the Suk longer, so that was my introduction to the work.
 
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Vanessa Benelli Mosell goes all core rep. And she enters a crowded field. In Rach 2 she's up against some super-heavyweights (eg, Rachmaninoff, Richter, Zimerman, Rubinstein, etc). She does not join them. She does indeed display nimble fingerwork, with the opening of the finale especially nifty. She projects skewed dynamics and power, though. The left hand playing is notably powerful in some passages, whereas some of the fastest playing is much quieter in volume and smaller in scale, indicating perhaps some post-production knob twiddling was used for effect. Her playing also generally doesn't include a lot of gooey legato, but is cleaner, clearer, brighter. The orchestra plays superbly, and Mosell is closer to properly sized than often occurs in concerto recordings. Overall sonics for the concerto are superb. The production team hired Tony Faulkner as the engineer, so this is not surprising.

In the Corelli Variations, with Mosell the sole credited producer, she is up against fewer great recordings of the past, but she is up against a titanic recording of the here and now: Daniil Trifonov, who is easily my go-to. He remains my go-to. He handily outclasses Mosell in every regard. Now, Mosell on her own is good enough, in a sort of non-standard way. Her brighter tone serves her more modern approach. No rich romanticism for her; this is flinty, cold steel playing. Sonics are not as good as for the concerto, either. The production team did not hire Tony Faulkner as the engineer, so this is not surprising.

So, a decent disc, but one that will almost certainly fade from memory. The glamour photography is pretty much world class, though, as one can expect from this artist, who once again gives a shout out to a fashion designer.



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Can a recording sound too good? I sort of pondered that question while listening to this recording of the two Brahms Cello Sonatas and Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata played by regular duo partners Maurizio Baglini and Silvia Chiesa. (The recording was made in Fazioli Concert Hall, which explains a lot.) From the opening notes, where Chiesa's 1697 Grancino sounds so big and fat that it threatens to engulf the listening room before one can adjust, right on through to the end, the listener's ears are bathed in sonic goodness. Chiesa's tone varies throughout as needed, but generally it is warm and rich and big. One can revel in her delicate bowing, her forceful bowing, her lovely vibrato. It's just splendid. Behind her is Baglini's equally big sounding Fazioli, weighty down low and crisp and colorful up top. From time to time, his playing assumes a scale that dwarfs Chiesa's. I can hear why they perform together, and the back and forth indicates long working familiarity. The sonic goodness on display at all times almost threatens to distract from the interpretations. How could it not? This sounds more detailed than I hear in person, and is just as clear, though audiophile soundstaging isn't the best ever (though that's a trait I don't concern myself with). Fortunately, the interpretations themselves are excellent. To the extent I have favorites in these works - probably Fournier/Firkusny for the Brahms and Perenyi/Schiff for the Schubert - that hasn't changed, but I will return to this disc just to hear some world class playing in great sound.
 
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Maria Perrotta's Schubert. Perrotta has varied qualitatively in her prior three Decca Itlay discs, sounding sublime in late Beethoven, excellent in Bach, but not so hot in Chopin. Fortunately, the Schubert is much closer to the Beethoven. Looks like she might be a Germanic core rep type pianist. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

Anyway, Perrotta starts off with D784, and hers is no wimpy version focused on beauty. She brings out the anger and the bite in the sonata, especially the first movement. No, she is not as hard hitting as someone like Lupu or Dalberto, but she shows she has got power. She also displays a wonderful cantabile style when appropriate. She follows with D960. She omits the first movement repeat, which is a strike against it, and the bass trills aren't the deepest or darkest, but she plays with both tonal beauty and tenseness. There's more than lyricism here. As often happens with versions where the first movement repeat is excluded, the Andante sostenuto becomes the true heart of the work. It is not particularly dark or bleak, but rather sounds quite beautiful and displays a sort of grim, accepting mien, a Schubertian take on Es muß sein, if you will. The Scherzo is quick, lovely, and maintains some of the tension audible in prior movements. The final movement is brisk and ratchets up the tension until finally some D784 style power erupts. A strong ending to a strong performance. The disc wraps up with the relatively rarely recorded Grazer Fantaisie, D605a. The works makes for a nice contrast, being lighter, funner, and filled with moments of wonderful lyricism. Being live, the recording lacks the sheen of perfection, and perfectionism, that Michael Endres brings to his effort, but that is more a difference of style I would think. I do think it may have made more programmatic sense to put this work between the two sonatas, and end with the big one, but I'll take it as is.

The recording was taken from a single recital last year, and it shows. Lots of audience noise intrudes, and Perrotta can be heard vocalizing on multiple occasions. (Turns out I prefer female vocalizing to male vocalizing.) There are also some passages of less than perfect command. None of that really matters, though. Sound quality otherwise is not quite SOTA, but is superb and fully modern. This is Perrotta's second best disc.

Now, when will Perrotta record some Mozart?



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When I listen to Rachmaninoff, twenty-nine times out of thirty, it's to solo piano music or piano concertos. I rarely venture beyond that. While I know I've heard his Cello Sonata and own at least one additional copy, I couldn't name the recording unless I consulted my collection. I should be able to say I have a go-to now. I really enjoyed Mrs Gatti's and Mr Baglini's prior Decca outing, so I decided to try this one. The first thing people who've heard the Brahms and Schubert disc will notice is the decidedly different sound. It's still SOTA, but it's more distant, offering more of the performance hall resonance (here the Forum Fondazione Bertarelli), and Chiesa's tone is less full and fat, though it is hardly thin. She also readily displays her ability to power out a rush of notes to exhilarating effect. Baglini sounds pretty much like he always does, but the more spacious acoustic allows his Fazioli to deliver a fully weighty lower end and a more massive scale, while also sounding less rich than when the instrument is recorded in Fazioli Hall. The playing is generally very energetic and modern cool, where syrupy romanticism is approximated and stylized. Haters of vibrato may want to steer clear, but I appreciate the approach here. The disc contains the main work and an assortment of transcriptions of Rachmaninoff piano pieces. It's not the deepest, most moving chamber music around, nor is it as good as the Brahms/Schubert disc, but my ratio of piano music may now drop to twenty-eight out of thirty listens when it comes to Rachmaninoff.

The disc is dedicated to two victims of the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks.
 


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