Romantic Piano Favourites, Vol. 9, is a varied collection of pieces, a few of which should be excluded on the grounds that they are really Baroque, Classical, or Modern, and are inappropriate to the stated theme of the series. While the Scarlatti, Mozart, Bartók, and Debussy selections are not Romantic, even in the way Balázs Szokolay interprets them, one simply must take them with the rest of the program, which is mostly devoted to nineteenth century masters. With this in mind, the listener may regard this collection as a ...
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Romantic Piano Favourites, Vol. 9, is a varied collection of pieces, a few of which should be excluded on the grounds that they are really Baroque, Classical, or Modern, and are inappropriate to the stated theme of the series. While the Scarlatti, Mozart, Bartók, and Debussy selections are not Romantic, even in the way Balázs Szokolay interprets them, one simply must take them with the rest of the program, which is mostly devoted to nineteenth century masters. With this in mind, the listener may regard this collection as a recital of charming miniatures and character pieces well-played and thoughtfully arranged in a pleasing order. Szokolay imbues his performances with expressiveness and great warmth, yet his use of rubato and dynamics never becomes obvious or distracting. When the mood is one of reverie or nostalgia, as evoked by the Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Grieg pieces, Szokolay is in his element as a poet of the keyboard. Brisk pieces, such as Mozart's Variations for piano (12) on "Ah, vous...
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Add this copy of Romantic Piano Favourites, Vol. 9 to cart. $6.14, very good condition, Sold by Lot O'Books VA rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Virginia Beach, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Alliance.
