About a month ago, I decided to do a one-album-at-a-time survey of my classical CD collection. A lot has happened during that month, but this feels like the right time to start it up again. Back when I was in high school, I sat in on a masterclass featuring pianist Awadagin Pratt. I didn’t consider myself a pianist at the time—truth be told, I still don’t—and I didn’t get much out of it. Pratt also didn’t play a single note, so I had no idea how good he was. Sometime later, I saw his name on a list of classical musicians born in Pittsburgh, so my curiosity was piqued. When I saw this CD on the clearance rack at Half Price Books, I saw no reason not to give it a spin. This is a wonderful recording of four of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, and Pratt’s conception of the pieces is, to my ear, nothing less than remarkable. Among other things, I was struck by how he approached each movement within the context of the larger work. In the wrong hands, Beethoven can feel a bit like a greatest hits reel: Some of the individual moments are so famous that the larger structure can crumble under their weight here. Not so here. Pratt approaches each sonata as a near-seamless work, and the result is powerful and cohesive. Whether or not we really “need” more recordings of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, this is one well worth tracking down. But there’s another thing that should to be mentioned. One of the reasons why I decided to listen to this recording is that it’s one of the handful of classical CDs I have featuring black performers. The classical music world is, like so many other creative industries, one that seems to disproportionately favor non-black artists. (From my vantage point, a vast majority of classical musicians are either white or Asian.) The first sentence of his bio from the CD’s liner notes is fascinating in its subtext: “Awadagin Pratt shatters the audience’s expectations of a great pianist.” The sad fact of the matter is that, simply by virtue of being black, he probably does. But make no mistake about it: Pratt is a great pianist, and he has made a great recording of Beethoven piano sonatas. Here’s to shattering expectations.
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The latest in my one-album-at-a-time survey of my CD collection. I’ll keep this one short. Celebrity-packed recordings usually swing between extremes: They’re either a slam dunk or a total misfire. This one—featuring Kathleen Battle, Wynton Marsalis, Anthony Newman on continuo, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s—is an absolute success. Simply stated, I can’t imagine this music sounding any better. I’m going through my classical CD collection, one day at a time, and writing short reviews of each. Here’s the latest. I bought this CD years ago, mostly because I have a passing familiarity with the Eaken Piano Trio. (John Eaken is, or at least was, based in my hometown, and his wife was an occasional substitute teacher in my school district.) But I’ve never listened to it in its entirety until now. When I’ve put it on in the past, I usually found it underwhelming, and my assumption was that some combination of the music or the performance was fairly lackluster. And wow, was I ever mistaken. The first piece on the album—Lalo Schifrin’s Hommage à Ravel—gets off to a bit of a slow start, but it builds to a terrific climax. Gunther Schuller’s Piano Trio is wonderfully angular and jazzy, a wonderful listen. But the real find here is Gerald M. Shapiro’s Piano Trio. I’m not familiar with Shapiro’s work apart from this, but this is a really terrific piece, and a great opportunity for the ensemble to shine. The recording could be a bit clearer, but the performances throughout are wonderful. This album is a great example of why I’ve set this goal of listening through everything, beginning to end. There’s great music here, but I’ve gone years without finding it. Highly recommended. |
AuthorChris Massa is a US-born musician based in Durham, England. You are on his site right now. Archives
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