Review: The Bottazzi School l of Music Student Concert
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Saturday, June 20, 2009- 8:30PM
This culminating student concert of the Bottazzi School of Music really demonstrated the school’s and faculty’s commitment to teaching the highest level of pianism and musicianship. I commend the faculty and students for their great efforts as well as the parents with whom, without their support, this event would not be possible.
Alina Yakubov (7) began the concert with great poise and demonstrated a clean, smooth sound and lively character in Schubert’s Waltz and Spider Dance. Caitlin Kim (9) played the Liszt-Eckstein Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 with determination which brought out the energy in the gypsy quality of the piece. Next was Linda Yenicag (10), who played Fur Elise with very warm colors and communicated in a very composed and focused way. Bravo, Linda.
Daniella Yakubov (11) played Valse by Durand. The melody was clearly outlined and her transitions were clear. She played very stylistically and the inner pulsations in her rhythm were exciting. Patrick Brandt (12) gave us a multi-colored and multi-layered version of Claire de Lune by Debussy. The intensity in his soft playing was breath-taking. His touch was varied and clear with great resonance. Following him was Natalia Lee (10) who played the Khachaturian Toccata with a powerful opening and nice shapes in the repeated notes. Wonderful cascades of sound!
Jessica Yee (11) played the Valse Brilliante by Chopin with a lot of precision and good lift of the long notes. She was committed and expressive. Nice work! Tiffany Liang (13) played Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca with a dynamic character. Her grace notes were very stylistic and energetic. Karen Gavica (15) played the Valse by Durand next. She played with very nice inner shapes in the phrases and a clean, firm tone with an exciting ending.
The e minor Waltz by Chopin was next, played by Andy Wang (12). This performance was particularly special. His opening was very dark and controlled. The accompanying figures were clearly outlined and never heavy and he played the contrasting sections with an elastic legato. He played with so much passion and elegance that really arrested everyone’s attention. Jandi Keum (16) played Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnet No. 123 with really long lines and in a very intimate but impassioned way. The textures were handled nicely and the sound was deep and warm. Mauricio Fernandez (22) played the late Mozart Sonata in D major, K. 576 with wonderfully bright colors and a good sense of the style in this lively key. The contrapuntal aspects were good, but the long tones could have been more buoyant in order to create more energy in the syncopated lines.
Next was Jonathan Cui (11) on clarinet playing the third Mozart Clarinet concerto, accompanied by his teacher Dr. Kuposik. The articulations were clear and he played with a very lively character. His tone was rounded and charming. What a nice treat to hear the next performer, Constandina Homayuni (16) sing two selections. Accompanied by Dr. Bottazzi with transparent sounds and textures, Constandina had a lovely voice which she used to portray a wide range of emotions in these delightful pieces.
The second half began with Jessica George (13) who played The Prelude from Pour le Piano by Debussy. She was very secure and played with a smooth execution. Her performance was exciting and she used the exotic scales to create color and contrast in this motoric piece. Next was the Nocturne in C-sharp minor by Chopin played by Carol Szwei (15). She produced a dark and somber quality with her intense listening and her marvelously shaped melodies. The harmonic direction was always moving forward which resulted in a very hopeful ending in major. The next Chopin Nocturne (Op. 48 No. 1) was superbly executed. Daniel Eras (13) kept the intensity and melodic shape through the rests in the opening as if a thread was going through each note. The C major section was well thought out and the build to the ending was exciting. Bravo.
The Banjo by Gottschalk had a good character and the sound was very appropriate for the piece. Aaron Lee(15) handled the technical aspects of this piece nicely. Next was Nicholas Capalbo (20) who played the Posthumous Waltz by Chopin with a full bodied sound and with intensity in his tone and character. Nicolas Giacalone (13) played the second Chopin Scherzo with great layers and with an explosive sound. The build-ups in the different sections were exciting and Nicolas played with great freedom. Colleen Stack (14) played the first Chopin Scherzo next. The surges of energy were brilliant but contained. The slow sections were quite expressive and it was free but still clear rhythmically. Colleen’s tone was singing and vibrant.
Dustin Lee (17) played the Ballade in A-flat, Op. 47 with a lot of energy but still graceful and with a clear intention. Steven Max (16) played different selections of Kreisleriana tonight. These were well thought-out and passionate. His flowing lines were thrilling; a great performance! Kate Stack (17) ended the program with the massive Transcendental Etude “Wild Hunt” by Liszt. She executed the technical difficulties with intelligence and had great stamina! She played with an extensive range of dynamics and colorations throughout. Simply wild!
The concert concluded with an award ceremony and recognition of those deserving students.
Bravo to you all.
By Walter F. Aparicio
Faculty, Bronx Conservatory of Music
Adjunct Faculty, New York University