Chorinho
Navona, 2023
8/10
The violist Georgina Rossi and pianist Silvie Cheng come together for these tracks that celebrate Brazil’s rich heritage, and it includes a few world premieres, too.
“Chorinho for viola and piano”, by João de Souza Lima, opens the listen with the keys and strings interacting with a playful yet elegant nature that makes for plenty of flowing melody, and Osvaldo Lacerda’s “Appassionato, Cantilena, e Toccata for viola and piano” follows with 3 chapters of stirring, intimate songwriting that emits much emotion and heartfelt gestures.
The middle portion, “Meloritmias: No.5 for solo viola”, by Ernani Aguiar, is a solo viola piece where the diverse playing is poetic and expressive in Rossi’s capable hands, while Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Valsa da dor for solo piano” has Cheng’s finger acrobatics on display for the gorgeous and moving key manipulation.
Close to the end, “Sonata for viola and piano” pairs the piano and viola via unpredictable and cautious waves of beauty in the Brenno Blauth piece, and Chiquinha Gonzaga’s “Lua branca (from the operetta: O Forrobodó)” exits with swift key progressions and captivating string playing for the album’s highlight.
A listen that explores the lesser known aspects of Brazilian contemporary music, Rossi and Cheng make for an eloquent, cultured and sublime listen.
Travels well with: Karel Martínek- Heavy Pedal Vol. 2; Meira Warshauer- Ocean Calling