Uncommon Voices
Navona, 2022
8/10
The pianist and composer Natasha Stojanovska dives into the music of Eastern European female composers with this body of work, and it brings the sounds of Croatia, North Macedonia, the former Soviet Union, and other Eastern European countries into elements of western musical tradition.
Maria Szymanowska’s “Nocturne In B Flat Major” opens the listen with gentle and pretty progressions that are quite alluring in their precise delivery, and “Piano Sonata No. 1”, by Zara Levina, follows with very calm musicianship that unfolds with a mesmerizing quality as it builds into a lush execution.
In the middle, the dancing keys of “Sonata No. 2 In A Flat Major” displays a profoundly meticulous demeanor of Stojanovska’s skill in the Dora Pejacevic original, while “Pieces For Piano” is a bit more firm and rumbles slightly amid Bojana Petrovic Aleksova’s vision.
The album exits on a pair of originals, where the emotive and stirring “Phantasy No. 2” and “Phantasy No. 1” possess a tremendous amount of heart and soul.
Stojanovka does an excellent job of spotlighting these overlooked and under appreciated artists, and her very proficient finger acrobatics will greatly appeal to fans of piano music.
Travels well with: Anna Kislitsyna- Piano Spectrums; John Mitchell’s Quartets- Seasons