Reviewed: 2019-11-29
Genre: Classical (X)
FCCs: none
Review: Rich sonatas are delivered by violinist Lee as she teams with pianist Alex Brown on a collection of Gershwin interpretations and a few extras. The Gershwin pieces are arranged by Jascha Heifetz for the most part and reflect the “Golden Age” of the era well, in a stately post-ragtime, pre-swing mode.
Lee’s tone is at turns rich and palpable, elegant, urgent, dark, and dramatic.
If You Like: Itzhak Perlman, Regina Carter, Jenny Scheinman, Hannah Addario-Berry
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
**1/ It Ain’t Necessarily So (5:42) – violin starts> midtempo duet> violin solo> piano solo> midtempo duet swings up briefly then slows to midtempo> crescendo end
*2/ #TBT (5:06) – violin starts> slow tempo duet morphs into off-kilter midtempo, then slows to slow tempo> slow fade
*3/ Three Preludes No. 1 (1:45) – piano starts> slow tempo duet swings uptempo> quick stop
4/ Three Preludes No. 2 (3:56) – piano starts> slow tempo duet> slowly builds to midtempo> slows to fade
*5/ Three Preludes No. 3 (1:22) – piano starts> fast tempo jam> quick stop
**6/ Fantasy For Solo Violin (6:42) – violin starts hard> slow solo swings back & forth in tempo> quick stop
7/ Viva For Solo Violin (2:52) – violin starts hard> slow solo swings back & forth in tempo> pause> uptempo solo> quick stop
8/ Graceful Ghost (6:36) – piano starts> midtempo duet> piano solo> violin solo> midtempo duet> quick stop
**9/ Summertime (3:28) – piano solo starts> slow tempo duet builds to midtempo> crescendo end
**10/ A Woman Is A Sometime Thing (1:43) – piano hits a note> pause> uptempo duet> crescendo end
*11/ Bess, You Is My Woman (5:19) – piano starts> midtempo duet> builds in volume> pause> midtempo duet> builds in volume> pause> midtempo duet slows to fade
*12/ My Man’s Gone Now (4:16) – piano starts hard> midtempo duet> quick stop
*13/ Tempo Di Blues (3:18) – piano/violin start> midtempo duet> shifts uptempo> builds to crescendo> brief fast tempo duet> quick stop
14/ Short Story (2:56) – violin starts> midtempo duet swings to crescendo> slow duet> uptempo ragtime duet> quick stop
***15/ American In Paris (6:16) – piano/violin starts>fast tempo duet> pause> fast duet> pause> midtempo duet> pause> slow tempo duet> pause> midtempo duet> swings to uptempo> pause> midtempo duet swings to uptempo> crescendo end
16/ Embraceable You (5:14) – violin solo starts slow> slow tempo duet> slow fade
17/ Sleepless Night (2:39) – piano/violin starts> midtempo duet> slow fade
*18/ Violin Piece (5:18) – piano starts> slow duet> violin solo> piano solo> slow duet> quick stop