Mobili: Music For Viola And Piano From Chile
New Focus, 2020
8/10
Listen to Mobili: Music For Viola And Piano From Chile
The Chilean-American violist Georgina Isabel Rossi comes together with the award winning pianist Silvie Cheng on this first ever record devoted to Chilean music for viola. Pulling from 6 pieces that spans 5 decades, the pair put much heart and soulfulness into the endeavor, and the result is quite admirable.
The album starts with a pair of Rafael Díaz pieces, as “¿Habrá alguien que en sus manos sostenga este caer?” starts with amplified viola taking us on a 10 minute journey of quivering, sublime string acrobatics with no shortage of reverb, and “Al fondo de mi lejanía se asoma tu casa” follows with piano and viola interacting in beautiful, sometimes aching ways that are both orchestral and classical.
Deeper into the listen, David Cortés’ “Tololo”, one of the most current pieces, uses viola with a string orchestra to radiate warmth and adventurousness that occasionally gets abrasive and even haunting in its creative layering, while “Mobili op.63”, by Juan Orrego-Salas, comes in 4 movement that range from piano focused and graceful, to more jagged and even with a slow march atmosphere. Carlos Guastavino’s “El Sampedrino” exits the listen with Rossi and Cheng’s dynamic chemistry emitting a stirring, fascinating finish to a very accomplished listen.
The composer of the title work, Juan Orrego-Salas, passed away just before this album was recorded, and the effort is dedicated to his spirit. A tragic loss, Rossi and Cheng knew that this collaboration would need to honor his memory well, and the rich, meticulous and expressive project certainly does not disappoint.
Travels well with: Haydn + Hummel- Double Concertos For Violin And Piano; Andplay- Playlist