Stimme aus der Ferne- A Voice From the Distance
Céleste, 2021
8/10
Listen to Stimme aus der Ferne- A Voice From the Distance
The Canadian pianist Andrea Botticelli brings a very artistic quality to this debut album, where she interprets works by Robert and Clara Schumann, Frank Schubert and Carl Czerny that are recorded on fortepiano.
The listen opens with Schubert’s “Sonata In A major, D 664”, where graceful, dancing keys showcase tremendous skill and poise through the 3 movements, and Czerny’s “Variations On A Theme by Rode, Op. 33” follows with meticulous and quick key manipulation that’s profoundly stirring and exciting.
In the middle, Schumann’s “Papillons, Op. 2” offers short pieces that emit warmth and intimacy, but then moments later are prone to firm, triumphant strokes, while Schumann’s “Soirées Musicales, Op. 6” is one track of sublime and detailed playing that mesmerizes us immediately. Schumann’s “Novelletten, Op. 21” finishes out the record with a rumbling, dexterous performance that few could replicate as she reworks the classic with an often forceful execution.
An artist with no shortage of praise and awards and who is also an educator, Botticelli brings a timeless approach to these songs, where she creates quite likely the first solo fortepiano album from a Canadian musician, and it’s one that makes for a fantastic first album.
Travels well with: Mathilde Handelsman- Debussy: Images; Inna Faliks- Reimagine: Beethoven & Ravel