Search - Naida Cole, Ravel, Baartook :: Reflections

A Superb Young Pianist

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 06/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As it happens, on this disc Naida Cole goes toe-to-toe with a couple of CDs by one of my favorite unknown pianists, Minoru Nojima, who recorded the two main pieces here (the Liszt sonata and Ravel's 'Miroirs') on two Reference Recordings discs. I have raved for years about Nojima's performances to anyone who would stand still to listen. And now, I have to say, there are a couple performances that match his. The Ravel is stunning. Anyone who bought Angela Hewitt's 2-CD issue of the complete Ravel piano works will be astounded at this performance. Where Hewitt is rather bland and stolid in 'Noctuelles' (the first of the Miroirs set), Cole's playing is gossamer. She takes the très léger marking seriously and the piece flutters and flies awkwardly (just like the eponymous 'Night Moths' of Léon-Paul Forgue's poem). In 'Oiseaux tristes' (described by Ravel as birds singing in the deepest forest during the hottest part of a summer day) Cole beautifully manages the two layers of the piece: birds above in the right hand, torpor of the forest in the left hand. The two longest sections, 'Une barque sur l'océan' and 'Alborado del gracioso' are equally convincing. Cole handles the virtuosity of each without breaking a sweat and, more important, plays them as if they are important music, not showpieces. After hearing her play the catchy Spanish rhythms of 'Alborado,' I would love to hear Ms Cole play Albeniz and Granados. The final 'La Vallée des cloches,' depicting the sounds of the bells of Paris at midday, according to what Ravel told Robert Casadesus, is for me the most Debussyan of all Ravel's works. Simply gorgeous tonal control here. Liszt's Sonata is hard to pull off. The dynamic contrasts have to be finely judged, the narrative (if it can be called that) must be gently underlined or it becomes amorphous. And the generally slow tempo makes it hard to keep it moving. Cole manages all these things, handles the virtuosity required, and makes real music of it all. Her intepretation is gentler than Nojima's, but this adds more mystery to this powerful work. The final fugal section is more fleet, less brutal but ultimately more exciting than Nojima's. In a word, it blew me away. The relatively negligible Bartók 'Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs' are well done, but not as infectious as the performances of Zoltan Kocsis or Gyorgy Sandor.Naida Cole is a superbly talented and musical pianist to watch. I give this recording a hearty recommendation.Review by Scott Morrison"

Another Brilliant CD from Naida Cole

J Scott Morrison | 02/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been waiting 2 years since Naida Cole's last CD was released here in the U.S. It's been too long a wait! This record confirms what everyone heard on her first CD (chosen by Gramaphon Mag as a Critcs Choice Album of the Year): Naida Cole is an absolutely astounding talent! Again she chooses some of the most difficult repertoire for piano, yet makes it sound like she was born to play it. Her technical playing is inhuman. However, even more impressive, the real magic here is the emotional subtlety and insight infused in each piece. You can almost hear her ferocious intellect blazing through the keyboard. The selection of these seemingly unconnected pieces - they in fact are connected - is another wise selection by the artist. Bravo to her label for letting her make this record. Hopefully they give Ms. Cole the marketing support and priority she deserves on this record and in future. The music world should wake up and listen. This an artist who deserves to be a superstar."

Like light fragmented into rainbows by a crystal prism

Joanna Daneman | Middletown, DE USA | 03/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Naida Cole really makes Ravel sound fresh and new, yet--she is devoid of tricks and pretension. Instead, she creates a sound of glass and the whistle of wind through a bird's wings, light yet solid and crisp. THIS WOMAN CAN PLAY! Her precise touch is matched by tonal control, yet she never lets her technique dominate the sound; this is ABOUT the music. And what music! The Ravel "Mirors" never sounded so good to me, and the rest of the CD is almost as delightful. I wish she'd included Debussy here, as well, though I suspect that she led with her strongest suit, the difficult and gorgeous sound of Maurice Ravel. She dominates the moody Liszt sonata with originality and quiet strength.This is an interesting compilation; her impressionistic sound is never blurred and is imminently suited to the Spanish, the French and Liszt (a Hungarian.) While not really alike to the delicate, etherial sound of Alicia Delarrocha, Cole's playing has the same clarity and finly-controlled touch and superb, restrained use of pedal.The Bartok compositions are not his best work, His typically quirky harmony and Gypsy dissonances were not pleasing in these Hungarian dances. I prefer Bartok for violin, frankly, where the harsh or strident dissonance can make heartfelt wails. These were the least pleasing choices on the CD. I played this CD and her other release about three times running, fascinated by the sound she conjures up. It's like seeing colors when the notes are struck, hard to describe, but the impression is like the sun hitting a crystal and breaking into bits of rainbows. I was delighted. So will you be."