Textures In Classics
Navona, 2022
8/10
Listen to Textures In Classics
The exceptional pianist and music scholar Sang-Hie Lee turns in an impressive body of work here, where her performances of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, among others, resonates with very rich and timeless gestures.
Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109” opens the listen with heartfelt and meticulous playing that’s capable of both calm and firm moments, and Claude DeBussy’s “Preludes” follows with very intimate song craft that’s full of mature, sublime beauty.
Further along, “Sonata For Oboe And Piano” recruits John Corina’s oboe for the very upbeat and charming interaction of flowing melodies in the Herman Schroeder composition, while Franz Liszt’s “2 Konzertetuden, S. 145” showcases fascinating finger acrobatics, where the keys are manipulated with so much skill.
“25 Variations & Fugue On A Theme By Handel In B-Flat Major, Op. 24” exits the listen, and presents 25 movements that glide by with seemingly effortless musicianship as Lee’s careful yet exploratory playing does justice to the Johannes Brahams original.
Texture, tone and harmony are all key components of Lee’s formula, and these classical and chamber interpretations certainly make an indelible impression.
Travels well with: Gibbs Street Duo- Memories Unsettled; Lee Bradshaw- The Ties That Bind