WarnerNuzova
Russian Music for Cello & Piano
Cedille Records


The duo of cellist Wendy Warner and pianist Irina Nuzova as WarnerNuzova seems an organic progression of a musical nature; from opposite sides of the world, they have connected for the sake of connecting with others. Their first album, Russian Music for Cello & Piano, is an insightful introduction to who Warner and Nuzova are as artists. Their debut is entirely Russian in origin, a fine nod to both women’s musical roots east of the Dnieper River, as Nuzova grew up in Moscow until a teenager and Warner’s mentor was the renowned cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich, to whom the album is dedicated.

In fact, the first piece on the album, Miaskovsky’s Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor, was originally written for Rostropovich himself, and Nuzova has stated that the idea of recording the sonata for its first American release was a driving factor behind the album itself. Its largely romantic style allows for much emotional translation on the artists’ part, and Warner and Nuzova filled each opportunity perfectly. The duo’s sentimentality for the sonata is bound up tenderly between Warner’s admiration of her mentor and Nuzova’s love for the spirit and landscape of her native Russia, expressed so well by Miakovsky’s compositions.

The third part of the suite, Schnittke’s short yet sly “Musica Nostalgica,” was also written for Rostropovich, and before it lays Scriabin’s Etude Op. 8 No. 11, originally written for piano but later transcribed to include cello. Its delightfully equal split between the two instruments is a wonderful example of Warner and Nuzova’s wish to showcase one another, which they do very well. A short adagio section from Prokofiev’s Cinderella follows, transcribed from a pas de deux, ending passionately before leading into Rachmaninov’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor. Rachmaninov didn’t let his love of the piano down, and even while writing for a great cellist he made sure to let the piano part shine, making the sonata a perfect choice for Warner and Nuzova, who lend it a warm resonance.

There is much to say about the personality and care of each section of the album, but it would serve the listener to take the whole deliverance in one piece. In all of its variety and simultaneously through its many connections, Russian Music for Cello & Piano is warm while paying tribute to the vast and sorrowful landscape and cultural tradition of Russia. Ultimately, Russian Music is a love letter by Warner and Nuzova not only to their musical roots, but to music itself.

by Marie Meyers

Alondra De La Parra
Mi Alma Mexicana
Sony Classical


Being the first woman from Mexico to conduct in New York City, Alondra De La Parra has received much-deserved notoriety and praise from fans of classical music as well as music enthusiasts altogether. The baton is her weapon; she guides the music and musicians to places where the listeners experience a wide array of musical feeling. Her take on the arrangements proves to be flawless and endearing, giving all listeners an experience they will never forget.

With her first studio album with Sony Classical, titled Mi Alma Mexicana, De La Parra has created something grand in spectrum and beautiful in scope. Taking compositions, some of them not very well known, from the past 200 years of Mexico’s rich history, De La Parra delivers an album that not only celebrates Mexico’s culture and pride, but emphasizes the talent that has lain within the country for the past two hundred years. The album brings rich, lush arrangements to the listener’s ears, encompassing them in a world where nothing but perfection exists. The first track, “Huapango,” which was originally composed in 1941 by Jose Pablo Moncayo, immediately starts the album off in a big way, with the woodwinds coming about in bold and grand movements. Then within the next tracks, the strings and horns take control, putting the listener completely under their command. But as a listener, this is what one wants.

The album also has some haunting, somewhat dark arrangements such as “Sinfonia No. 2,” which was written in 1993 by Frederico Ibarra. The track immediately opens with darkness and despair, and then becomes utterly haunting and grandiose toward the middle. Perhaps the best track on the album is also the longest. Clocking in at almost 17 minutes, Candelario Huizar’s original composition, “Imagenes,” immediately starts within a sort of dreamscape, then becomes unquestionably and unforeseeably rich with flute, violin and sporadic drumming, each contributing their own language.

If this album is anything, it is De La Parra’s culmination and reiteration of her love of Mexico and the music it has produced throughout the years. It is her love letter to Mexico. Everything in the album is where it needs to be in terms of orchestration and arrangement. Each track gently proceeds to the next, until the 2-disc album comes to a dynamic close.

by Mark Lopez

Lang Lang
Live in Vienna
Sony Classical


Spread onto two discs and nearly as many hours, Lang Lang’s Live in Vienna is a long yet masterful look at five grand composers. It’s no secret that Lang Lang has talent, as he has already largely taken the world by storm. After moving to the United States at age 15 to study at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, he is now, in his 20s, a household name to music lovers. The album was recorded at the Musikverein in Vienna, which Lang Lang states was the natural next step after his recording from another “great,” Carnegie Hall.

The choices made in production, from the variance in repertoire to the broad release spanning CD to BLU-RAY, are designed to get the public to fall in love with classical music again. Two Beethoven pieces comprise the first disc, the first of which is Piano Sonata No.3 in C major, generally described as his first sonata to carry the Beethoven feel we all know. His Op.57 “Appassionata” is next, chosen for the sheer energy of the piece. Lang Lang feels a certain connection to it, having grown as a pianist with it, as well as a challenge in the quick and passionate mood changes. One must be very versatile to play the full range of the piece, which Lang Lang does without seeming to have any trouble at all.

On the second disc, we begin in Spain with Isaac Albéniz’s energetic and nuanced Iberia, Book I. The variance within the composer’s Spanish style is a good fit with Lang Lang’s role today as a world musician in a time with fewer cultural boundaries than ever before. Next is Prokofiev’s Sonata No.7 for Piano, a solid and often aggressive piece executed with care. Three short works by Chopin round off the album, including the popular “Heroic” Polonaise, a quick, lilting work in A-flat, and as a finale, Op.34 No.1, Grande Valse Brillante No.2, which flows with a lightness and dexterity rarely achieved with such fullness.

The album feels like a tour of classical music, and although it’s a bit long, it’s certainly easy to become caught up in the changing energies of the works included. Each piece of Live in Vienna evokes full applause from the audience, and as the bravos fade, one can be sure that the classical world is safe with Lang Lang as a successor.

by Marie Meyers

Austin Piazzolla Quintet
Libertango
Self Release


With any classical music album, the music has to speak its own language. Each instrument has to coordinate its style and syncopation with the others to create something that is fluid and leaves a lasting impression on the listener. The instrumentation has to completely demand attention from everyone who dares to fall within its grasp.
Having said that, the Austin Piazzolla Quintet has created an album that achieves the aforementioned agendas with Libertango. The first track, “Adios Nonino,” immediately captures attention with the stylized piano playing that eventually sets off the violin and accordion, bringing the listener into a tango-tinged world where the rhythms float effortlessly. Most of the tracks on the album were originally written by Astor Piazzolla, with the exception of two tracks, which were written by the quintet’s pianist, Jonathan Greer. The second track, “Oblivion,” slows the album down somewhat, with the violin crying out somber notes, the piano and accordion providing a haunting background. It is probably one of the more touching songs on the album.

While Piazzolla’s compositions speak volumes, it is important to note the hidden genius behind Greer’s two contributions to the album’s stunning palette. The first, “Esquina Vals,” begins with a slow start, with the duality of piano and violin overlapping one another in subtle spurts of classical concoction. Yet it suddenly becomes a tango masterpiece, before slowing down once again to a lush piano solo, showcasing Greer’s work behind the keys. Not only does the track show what a talented pianist Greer is, but it also shows his power of composition in that the song is dynamic from start to finish. It is hard to tell where it is going to go next, or when the crescendo will take place. These qualities, put together, make for an interesting listen. Greer’s other composition, “Ghost Milango,” also starts off on a haunting note, before Christina Underwood’s double bass guides the rest of the instruments along, creating a harmonic balance within the song.

What makes this album good isn’t just the quality of the songs, or their ability to coincide so well with one another. It’s also the passion behind the music that makes the album listenable. From start to finish, it is easy to witness and hear the dedication and hard work taking place behind the instrumentation. In my experience, it is very rare for those types of qualities to be conveyed so easily within a given song, yet this quintet pulls it off, showing that classical music has not lost its touch over the years.

by Mark Lopez