"In her interpretations there was the necessary mix of brio and tenderness, of fire and introspective melancholy, of strength and delicacy, a simplicity that only those genuinely endowed are able to master."
~ La Capital, Rosario, Argentina
~ La Capital, Rosario, Argentina
FANFARE REVIEW: 2017 by Colin Clarke
"I have covered Mirian Conti’s recordings on a number of occasions; the quality of her playing is always consistently high, from works by Ramey and Benjamin Lees (two separate discs, both Fanfare 32:3, both on the Toccata label) to Katherine Hoover (Fanfare 39:6, Parnassus). Here, on Albany, she presents a varied and impeccably programmed recital of music centered on children and childhood. The recording (Yamaha Artist Services, New York) is a fine one, perhaps deliberately withholding that last iota of warmth so that the pieces emerge with a touch of sonic objectivity. A nice touch is that the line drawing on the cover is actually of the pianist herself when young by her father, Raul Conti. The subtitle of the disc is “a re-creation of childhood for adults,” and the repertoire is clearly rich indeed. The piano recording itself is beautiful, warm and rich as befits the chosen subject. By far the best-known work here is Kinderszenen, but there is a little journey to get there first. Poulenc’s piquant Villageoises (1933) start that journey off, a sequence of five dances plus coda that exude the world of the circus, stunningly articulated by Conti. Immediately the tonal palette richens with Mompou’s Scènes d’enfants (1915–18), Impressionist pictures of children at play, and it is instructive to hear how Conti varies her tonal palette for these fascinating miniatures. One is reminded that, for Mompou, one can make all the allusions to other composers’ ways of working one likes but still the pieces sound totally individual. Martin Jones recorded this work for Nimbus, and well, but Conti seems to find the elusive heart of this music so well. The name Lalo Schifrin (b. 1932) was, I admit, new to me. An Argentine composer, his Lullaby for Jack is dedicated to his grandson. This is a world premiere recording, and Conti finds the piece’s delicate heart perfectly. It forms excellent contrast to the more active beginning to the suite entitled Niñerias by Turina. The beautiful wit of the study-like “A l’école” could hardly be more different than the tissue-delicate sadness of “Conchita pleure” and its sister movement “Conchita rêve.” Conti’s beautiful staccato is put to good use in the playful “Carnaval d’enfants.” The more acerbic tang of Khachaturian brings variety to the soundscape. Conti plays four pieces from the first album of Pictures of Childhood, from 1947. Conti clearly enjoys these pieces, with their spicy harmonies and cheeky rhythmic play. The final number here, “Invention,” is a transcription of the Adagio from the ballet Gayane (used by Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey). It certainly speaks of the power of single lines. Paul Creston is a composer of whose music one constantly wants to hear more. A brief piece here, the two-minute Play Rondo written in 1964, sounds fiendishly difficult but it’s delivered with fine aplomb here; Argentinian folk melody infuses Carlos Gustavino’s 10 Preludios, along with a most telling sense of nostalgia, while the composer’s use of bitonality ensures an occasionally pungent terrain Schumann’s Kinderszenen was pretty much an inevitability in this program, and here obviously the competition is huge (154 recordings listen on ArkivMusic); yet the work’s placement in such musical company makes this take unique. Added to this is Conti’s refusal to wallow in excessive Schumann rubato at any opportunity, but to use rubato sparingly, and her crisp rhythmic work. Her harsh accents in “Hasche-Mann” make perfect sense in this context, as does her strength in “Wichtige Begebenheit” (the movement that precedes “Träumerei”). “Träumerei” itself is meltingly beautiful. As the performance goes on, one notices Conti’s care for every detail, her tonal variety (the way she relishes the bassline at times, for example), her attention to interaction of line (“Fürchtenmachen”), and finally the deepening of expression at “Der Dichter spricht.” A most rewarding release, thoroughly thought-through, superbly recorded and beautifully executed. NEXT PERFORMANCES:
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"An engaging concert and lecture performer, she enlivens the audience with her charismatic personality".