Miraculous
viennapiano | Vienna, Austria | 02/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Grante's insights into Godowsky's mazelike world offers the most detailed attention to counterpoint, revealing with spectacular finish, sparkling clarity and a daredevil mechanism innumerable details of voicings that the composer expressly sought, as can be evidenced by an acute study of these scores. These performances succeed further by their executant's rhythmic characterization, where he pushes, pulls, teases if never actually seduces melodic lines and inner voices, intuitively emphasizing subtle dissonances and their resolutions for their intrinsic emotional value. Never does Grante impress upon the listener a need to impress through his mechanism, which is in any case perfect in its precision, velocity, and most importantly its direction by the most acutely perceptive listening apparatus. Grante's pearly clarity and stunning ease of execution alone are worth the price of admission, and the whole is an astounding accomplishment of concentration, poise and authority."