ROBERT
SCHUMANN
PIANO SONATA in
F-SHARP MINOR, OP.11
FASCHINGSSCHWANK AUS WIEN, OP.26
WALDSZENEN, OP.82
SALLY PINKAS
PIANO
$14.95 ~
MS1323
"Judging
by this Schumann program [Sally Pinkas]
is a force to be reckoned with and has a natural feeling for the
peculiarities of the composer's idiom. She also writes her own lucid notes and
is given excellent sound from the Spaulding Auditorium at Dartmouth... [her
piano] is a fine-sounding instrument, near ideal for Schumann... All of these
performances have a sweep and passion to them, without pushing the button too
far. Her technical ability handles all that the composer can thrust at her."
American
Record Guide ~ November / December 2009
"Sally
Pinkas is a distinguished NH and Boston-based pianist, and, as expected, this
all-Schumann recital does not disappoint... In Pinkas’ performance [of Faschingsschwank aus Wien] I particularly like the teasing quality of the scherzo and the good
humor that comes across in the opening movement... The huge Sonata No.
1 is the most successful of Schumann’s three piano
sonatas, and Pinkas plays it as well as I have ever heard it played, presenting
the 1st movement’s extended narrative with encompassing sweep and
understanding, finding the heart-rending qualities of the 2nd movement’s
“Aria,” and the arch humor of the 3rd. She holds the sprawling last
movement together with wonderfully consistent rhythm. My previous favorite
recording of this work was a soulful version by Claudio Arrau, but Pinkas’
performance surpasses that one and her recording has far better sound. This MSR CD was recorded in the Spaulding Auditorium of Dartmouth’s Hopkins
Center and produced by Pinkas’ husband, pianist Evan Hirsch. He has
managed to capture the instrument’s brightness with a sense of the hall’s
reverberance, but also allows the listener to experience a wide dynamic range
that permits Schumann’s softer music to register. Bravo! Pinkas’
playing [of Waldszenen] like her well-written
liner notes, tends toward sensible clarification... I find Pinkas’ Waldscenen to be a lovely, unpretentious
performance full of telling details and rhythmic precision. Sally Pinkas is obviously a member in good standing of the “Davidsbund”,
Schumann’s imaginary band of enlightened appreciators of true art."
Paul Orgel, Classical Voice of New
England ~ October 2009
"The
Waldszenen are nicely shaped and finely characterized... ."
BBC
Music Magazine ~ October 2009 [ * * * ]
"Sally
Pinkas is an excellent pianist."
Turok's
Choice ~ No.213, September 2009
"[a]
fine new solo disc. [She] plays with a keen ear for architectural appects, while
also deftly conveying programmatic aspects when they apply. Pinkas is an artist
who melds lucid textures
with subtle expressive detailing, minus hints of bombast or mannerism. Her
attention to noble tonal resources and rhythmic clarity ensure that each of the
disc's works exudes distinctive character. To [Faschingsschwank] Pinkas brings
ample lilt, nuance and patience. Throughout the narratives [of the Sonata]
Pinkas' command of line is suave, her articulation sure and her crystalline
voicing a vote of confidence in Schumann's deeply personal sonic world."
Donald
Rosenberg, Gramophone ~ October 2009
"Sally
Pinkas must be counted among the winners [who have recorded the Schumann]... she
has a firm grasp of the rugged excitement that grips us in the last movement of
the composer’s turbulent First Sonata—rarely have I heard it done so
effectively. And many of the Forest Scenes
are downright lovely... Pinkas
is a fine player, as she has shown before in other recordings. And there are
many excellent things in this recital..."
Steven Ritter, Fanfare ~ September/October 2009
"[In the Piano Sonata
in F-sharp minor] the eleven minute Finale represents a major technical
challenge for any pianist. It is one that Sally Pinkas rises to expertly."
Jeff Perkins, BlogCritics ~ June 2009
"Israeli-born American pianist
Sally Pinkas conveys three works of
Robert Schumann to us in a way that shows a real love and deep understanding of
the composer. Not content with just performing Faschingschwank aus Wien, Sonata
No.1 and Waldszenen in all their glory and
with all their formidable technical difficulties, she also attempts to present a
cogent picture of the poetic and psychological intention that informs Schumann's
music."
Atlanta
Audio Society ~ April 2009
"Pinkas
brings a lovely tone, attention to phrases and structure,
and a perfectly timed rhetorical
sense to all she plays...”
Fanfare ~ 2008
Since
her London debut at Wigmore Hall, Israeli-born pianist SALLY PINKAS
has
presented recitals in Italy’s Villa Serbelloni (Bellagio) and Villa Aurelia
(Rome), Bulgaria’s National Gallery (Sofia), in Israel, France and throughout
the United States. She has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops, Aspen
Philharmonia, Jupiter Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony and Dobrich Chamber
Orchestra (Bulgaria). Summer festival credits include the Rockport, Music
Mountain, Marlboro, Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals in the United States,
as well as Kfar Blum (Israel), Rocca di Mezzo (Italy) and Pontlevoy (France).
As
a chamber musician, Ms. Pinkas explores a wide repertoire ranging from the
traditional to the contemporary. The Hirsch-Pinkas Piano Duo (with husband Evan
Hirsch) has performed throughout the US as well as in China, Nigeria, Russia,
Israel, Italy, France and Bulgaria, garnering critical acclaim. The Duo has
commissioned, premiered and recorded works by George Rochberg, Daniel Pinkham,
Thomas Oboe Lee and Peter Child for the Gasparo, Arsis and Albany labels. With
her long-time partner, flutist Fenwick Smith, Pinkas has recorded a 3-CD set of
the complete flute chamber works of Philippe Gaubert (Naxos). A disc featuring
the Fauré Piano Quartets with the Adaskin String Trio was recently released by
MSR Classics [MS1293]. Among her other collaborators are the Blair, Biava,
Ciompi, and Lydian String Quartets. Pinkas’ solo recordings include Debussy’s
Twelve Etudes and Estampes (Centaur), and Bread and Roses: Piano works by
Christian Wolff (Mode). Her recording of Gabriel Fauré’s Thirteen Nocturnes (Musica
Omnia) was named one of 2002’s best CDs by Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe.
Brown University awarded her the prestigious Howard Fellowship for a recording
of George Rochberg’s solo piano works (Gasparo).
ROBERT
SCHUMANN’S creative outpourings, both musical and literary, reflect the ardent
romantic spirit of 19th century Germany. Schumann left behind a comprehensive
oeuvre of instrumental and vocal compositions. In addition, throughout his short
life he remained at the forefront of a heated literary debate, becoming one of
the most influential musical commentators of his generation. His greatest
contribution as a composer, arguably, was to the repertoire for solo piano
(until 1840 he wrote predominantly for the piano). He himself had hoped to
become a pianist in his youth, and his marriage to the celebrated pianist Clara
Wieck was to keep him intimately involved with the instrument for the rest of
his life.
Schumann’s
musical style followed the paths explored by his admired predecessors Beethoven
and Schubert. The pianoforte of his time had evolved, however: it had a wider
pitch range, as well as the capacity to produce a richer and louder sound than
that produced by earlier keyboards. Schumann’s ambitious scoring for this
larger instrument challenged the pianist to create a dense, almost orchestral
sound. Further, the emotionally charged content of Schumann’s music required
the performer to reach beyond the technical, into the spiritual realm. The
rewards were considerable, as both performer and listener were drawn to the
exuberant vitality of a passionate nature.
