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Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy was an illustrious composer, pianist, organist, violinist, conductor, teacher, and benevolent patron of musicians. He is the one who brought J. S. Bach back from oblivion. His contributions to the musical world were so profound that Robert Schumann hailed him as “the Mozart of the nineteenth century, the most brilliant musician, the one who most clearly sees through the contradictions of the age and for the first time reconciles them.”
The album presents a collection of seldom-performed compositions that demand extraordinary virtuosity and resonate with profound emotional depth. Each piece captivates with its rich palette of tonal colors and textures, ranging from poetic introspection and serenity to intense tragedy and overwhelming drama. These works offer a powerful exploration of both intimately personal and universal human experience.
Personal Connection and Thoughts
I have always enjoyed Mendelssohn’s music, but lately it grabbed me by its sincere expressivity, heart-melting spontaneously flowing melodies and fiery passion of Romanticism–all perfectly balanced in the Classical tradition.
Beauty, love of life, kindness, optimism, and even light humor permeate Mendelssohn’s compositions, balancing his expression of tragedy, deep drama and despair. Mendelssohn’s grandfather was the renowned philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, the model for Lessing’s Nathan the Wise – embodiment of tolerance in the intolerant world. I think, Felix had inherited that view of the world, which makes his music so relevant and special for our time.
Tracks
Fantasia in F-Sharp minor, Op. 28 (Sonate ecossaise)
I. Con moto agitato
II. Allegro con moto
III. Presto
Albumblatt (Album Leaf) in E minor, Op. 117, “Lied ohne Worte”
Caprice in A Minor, Op. 33 No. 1
Variations Serieuses, Op. 54
Theme: Andante sostenuto
Variation 1
Variation 2: Un poco più animato
Variation 3: Più animato
Variation 4
Variation 5: Agitato
Variation 6: A tempo
Variation 7: Con fuoco
Variation 8: Allegro vivace
Variation 9
Variation 10: Moderato
Variation 11: Cantabile
Variation 12: Tempo del Tema
Variation 13: Sempre assai leggiero
Variation 14: Adagio
Variation 15: Poco a poco più agitato
Variation 16: Allegro vivace
Variation 17
Coda: Presto
Three Etudes, Op. 104b:
No. 1 in B-flat minor – Presto sempre
No. 2 in F major – Allegro con moto
No. 3 in A minor – Allegro vivace
Etude in F minor, WoO 1 – Presto agitato
Rondo Capriccioso in E major, Op. 14
Live Concert Videos
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Press
“Agranovich is the great tragedian of the piano… Her feeling for tragedy makes the music sound almost overwhelming in its intensity.”
“She reconnects with the music in a way that suggests a feeling of tragedy under the surface gaiety….she elevates all of this music from the realm of nice entertainment to that of great tragic art. “
“Every note is imbued with feeling; indeed, the opening movement is so expressively played that you almost feel like crying, so deep is her emotional commitment…”
“She plays with rich detail, bringing out moments that pass the ears unnoticed in the hands of other players… a performing style that relishes the moment as much as the overall conception.”
“Agranovich brings this sonata-fantasia into line with some of Beethoven’s and Schubert’s most deeply felt compositions.”
“I really enjoyed the Album Leaf from the “Songs Without Words” more than I can recall enjoying any performance of any of them in the past—again, because Agranovich digs deep into the music’s emotion.”
“No matter how familiar or unfamiliar you are with these works, you’ll find something new and emotionally moving in all of them. Even the rapid Étude No. 2 of the three Op. 104b set, rushes forward with an almost overwhelming rush of emotion in a piece that, being fast-paced, is normally played in a glib style by other pianists. I was deeply impressed by every piece on this album; as a whole, it presents a Mendelssohn recital you will not soon forget.”
– Lynn René Bayley, Art Music Lounge Read complete review
“…Once again, Agranovich’s grasp of architecture and proportion, elegance and beauty of phrasing, and clear articulation provide considerable pleasure. And once again, I find myself especially gravitating toward the moments that allow Agranovich’s poetic impulses to shine their brightest. Lovely recorded sound and Agranovich’s fine liner notes enhance this project. A most enjoyable recital.”
– Ken Meltzer, Fanfare Read complete review
“Sizzling performance… Agranovich conjures up a memory palace of a performance with senses and flavours of the ethereal, in a passionate manifestation that exudes copious amounts of both warmth and love…”
“…Packed with mixed emotions, moods and feelings, as the moods are manifested in music and build upon a narrative of romance, passion and conflict.”
“A wonderful delight, perfectly played by the pianist…Agranovich feels each and every note played, with a sublime attractive and intelligent performance.”
“Album Leaf: Piano Works by Felix Mendelssohn by Sophia Agranovich is classically stunning. It’s a vast body of work that has been presented and played with such precision and craft by the artist. Sophia is without doubt one of the most accomplished classical pianists of her day, and here on this brand new collection of works by Mendelssohn, she shines like the midday sun. This album is guaranteed to be a sure fire hit with listeners and classical music aficionados alike the globe over”.
– Steve Sheppard, OneWorld Music Radio Read complete review
“…She understands the depth Mendelssohn can achieve (evident immediately from the opening “con moto agitato” of the op. 28 Fantasia, while she is as fleet-fingered as they come in both the Allegro con moto and the moto perpetuo concluding Presto… Agranovich projects the music’s warp and weft with real musicality…elfin when required, playful and raising a smile, legato and lyrical elsewhere…She dares to give the melody space in the first (B flat-Minor) despite the “Presto sempre” marking, and it works well… Agranovich has a fine sense of the overall architecture of the work, which means we hear a connected flow of variegated colors.”
– Colin Clarke, Fanfare Read complete review
“…Complex, exhilarating and challenging allegro of incredible virtuosity. One can barely catch one’s breath during and after hearing and witnessing such expressive phrasing… Flowing, effervescent rendering…spectacular execution… Ms. Agranovich’s version is sharper than a knife with virtuosic execution. Under her charge, the piece is elaborate with detail and bold in execution. She implements Mendelssohn’s routine of his verbosity of notes, even when a simple stanza might tell the whole story, translating it with a rich complexity that earns more than a mere “Brava”.
– R J Lannan, Artisan Music Reviews Read complete review
“Performed to perfection… A wide range of emotions – from grief to exhilaration – a musical thrill ride for sure! Dazzling…powerful and inspiring!”
– Kathy Parsons, MainlyPiano Read complete review
“She can spin a legato, sensitive melody and sort out contrapuntal voices. Her facile technique is perfect for the music here. The well-written and detailed booklet essay is also provided by the pianist.”
“Five stars: A wonderful Mendelssohn recital with a wide range of pieces, all in strong and exciting performances.”
–James Harrington, Fanfare Read complete review
“Mesmerizing, dynamically performed… each piece finds Sophia captivating our senses with an intricate palette of tonal colors and textures… She moves artfully and seamlessly from gently poetic introspection and eloquent serenity to a sense of intense, overwhelming tragedy and drama.”
-Jonathan Widran, The JWVibe Read complete review
“…Played with a scintillating sense of humor, especially in the closing presto. The Variations Serieuses hardly an unknown piece also does very well in her sympathetic hands.”
“Several etudes put her technical skills to the test, and they are definitely not found wanting. Nor is the ever popular Rondo Capriccioso along with the similarly structured Caprice Op. 33:1… A fine-sounding Steinway D and excellent notes by the pianist make this highly recommendable, if not revelatory.”
–Alan Becker, American Record Guide Read complete review
“Sophia Agranovich always surprises and never disappoints…”
“Her fingers move so fast they’re probably a visual blur, but there’s no audible blur in her playing. Every note of every sweeping arpeggio across the keyboard and every note of every run is perfectly weighted and clear as a bell. This is remarkable playing…there’s some really gorgeous music on this disc. The Rondo Capriccioso in E Major, with which Agranovich ends her program, takes a page out of Chopin for its opening statement, but Mendelssohn can’t resist the temptation to take Chopin on a magical tour of his forest of elves, faeries, and leprechauns.”
“…I have an even greater appreciation for Sophia Agranovich’s ease of execution and shimmering beauty of tone. Played with consummate technical skill and artistry, this well-chosen program of Mendelssohn’s solo piano pieces can be unreservedly recommended to all audiences.”
– Jerry Dubins, Fanfare Read complete review
“It’s grand. It’s untouchable. It’s…magnificent. Looking for a piano virtuoso who can truly interpret the work of a hallowed classical master? Pining for playing on a level that seems, sadly, to fade as technology replaces creativity? Then you NEED to purchase Album Leaf – Piano Works by Felix Mendelssohn by Sophia Agranovich. It’s almost more than human ears deserve.”
– The Ark of Music Read complete review
“I am simply mesmerized by Sophia Agranovich’s tremendous talent, virtuosity, emotional involvement and thorough musicianship. Fanfare magazine calls her a “tigress of the keyboard” and I could listen to her for hours..Her virtuosity immediately becomes evident in the extremely difficult last movement Presto of the Fantasia in F-sharp Minor…executed in a lovely singing tone, with virtuosity and elegance…”
“I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
– Janos Gardonyi, The Whole Note Read complete review
“…Combination of excellent technique and strong musical personality…crystalline clarity of textures with a natural gift for shaping melodies. She has a good instinct about when to add a touch of urgency to a phrase and when to relax the pace. Most importantly, she is willing to take interpretive risks. Rubato is generously applied to the first movement of the Fantasia in f-sharp minor without ever disturbing the flow of the music—forward motion is maintained. In the third-movement Presto the clarity of her fingerwork is breathtaking, exhibiting pinpoint control of dynamics.”
“She makes the keyboard sing with a pearly legato that belies the fact that the piano is basically a percussion instrument. The remaining short works are equally effective thanks to her ability to balance freedom and discipline.”
“The range of moods encompassed is enormous, and Agranovich slights none of them. Her performance has passion, humor, beauty, and above all, deep conviction. The recorded sound of her Steinway D is natural and full, and her program notes are illuminating.”
Five stars: A superlative recital of piano music by Mendelsohn
– Henry Fogel, Fanfare Magazine Read complete review
Interview in Fanfare Magazine January-February 2024
Interview and Album Show at OneWorld Music Radio
“Mixing It” with Nicki Chris on SIM radio network – interview and performance
Interview and Performance – Lite Lounge with Dimitri K. “What Makes Us Stronger!”
Lazie Indie Music Magazine – Inaugural Classical Musicians Edition – September 2024
AWARDS for this Album
Global Music Awards: Silver Medal | Outstanding Achievement
Best Instrumentalist (2) | Best Classical Piano
LIT International Talent Awards: 3 Platinum Awards
Best Classical Pianist | Best Instrumentalist | Best Classical Music
Best Classical Instrumentalist | Best Instrumental Music | Best Instrumental Artist
Best Performance | Best Concert
InterContinental Music Awards
Best Instrumentalist
OneEarth Awards
Best Classical Recording
Clouzine International Music Awards
Best Classical Piano Album
Best Classical Piano Performance
Radio Music Awards:
Best Classical Album | Best Classical Artist
Liner Notes by Sophia Agranovich
Sophia Agranovich, a multi-award-winning pianist, recording artist, educator, and artistic director, is internationally celebrated for her breathtaking virtuosity and profound sensitivity. Fanfare describes her as “a bold, daring pianist in the tradition of the Golden Age Romantics…A tigress of the keyboard,” and OneWorld Music Radio praises her as “one of the most accomplished classical pianists of her day.” Her performances captivate audiences with “an orison of uncommon beauty” (Audiophile) and are praised for their “interpretation that dares to be different,” “magnificent shading and superior musicianship” (American Record Guide).
A Steinway Artist, Ms. Agranovich has performed in USA, Europe, Israel, and Canada. Recently she played solo concerts at the Pennautier Festival and Juan-les-Pins in France where she premiered compositions dedicated to her by Françoise Choveaux, and was invited to China and Brazil. Some of her prestigious venues are David Geffen Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium and Paul Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Roerich and Metropolitan museums, Steinway Hall and galleries, Bargemusic, Tenri Cultural Institute, Polish Cultural Foundation, Lambert Castle, Watchung Arts Center, Salle Cortot, Théâtre Na Loba, American Cathedral in Paris, Ehrbarsaal, Gesellschaft für Musiktheater, Kaiser Hall, Sala Baldini, Teatro di Marcello. She also performed at libraries and numerous colleges and universities, such as the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rubin Academy of Music, National Music Academy of Ukraine and Lviv State Conservatory. Ms. Agranovich has collaborated with Mark Peskanov, Shlomo Mintz, Christopher Collins Lee, Andrew Litton, Alexander Mishnaevsky, Andrew Lamy, Brett Deubner, Gregory Singer, Anatole Wieck, Rupam Sarmah, Lili Haydn, Hamid Saeidi, Kathleen Supove, award-winning Emmy, Grammy, and Billboard top ten musical artists, and members of the major orchestras.
Sophia Agranovich has released 11 solo albums from 2010 through 2023, including 8 on Centaur label. Her albums are charting in top 10 across all musical genres on One World Music Radio and on World Top Radio Airplay Charts. Her discography received outstanding reviews and includes ‘Romantic Virtuoso Masterpieces’ (works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Scriabin), ‘Franz Liszt – Bicentennial Tribute’ (‘Un Sospiro’, ‘La Campanella’, Rhapsodie Espagnole, Sonata in b minor); ‘Passion and Fantasy’ (Beethoven: ‘Appassionata’, Chopin: Fantaisie and Sonata in b minor); complete Brahms-Paganini Variations; Schumann: Symphonic Etudes, Schumann-Liszt: ‘Widmung’; Schubert: ‘Wanderer’ Fantasie and Chopin: 4 Ballades; Schumann: Carnaval and Fantasie; Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie and Nocturne Op. 48 No.1, Liszt: complete Sonnetti del Petrarca, ‘Dante’ Sonata, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 14; Chopin: Sonata in B-flat Minor, 4 Scherzi, Polonaise ‘Héroïque’; ‘In Celebration of 250th Anniversary of Beethoven’ (Fantasie Op. 77, Sonatas ‘Pathétique’, ‘Moonlight’, ‘Tempest’): ‘Liszt: Rhapsodies, Études and Transcriptions’ (Hungarian Rhapsodies No. 6 and No. 13, Études d’exécution transcendante ‘Ricordanza’ and ‘Mazeppa’, Schubert/Liszt Ständchen. Erlkönig, Die Forelle); ‘Album Leaf: Piano Works by Felix Mendelssohn’ (Fantasia in F-sharp minor Sonate ecossaise, Albumblatt in A minor, Caprice in A minor, Variations serieuses, complete Etudes, Rondo Capriccioso).
Ms. Agranovich is a First Place Winner of the The American Prize in Piano Solo, Mykola Lysenko International Competition—former Ukrainian Young Artists Competition, and Bergen Philharmonic Competition. She is a recipient of 3 Gold and 15 Silver Medals from Global Music Awards, 2 Gold Medals from Prestige Music Awards, Best Classical Solo / Best Classical Album / Hall of Fame from Akademia Music Awards, 5 Best Classical Piano Albums from Clouzine International Music Awards, Best Classical Artist (2) /Best Female Classical Artist/Best Classical Recording (3) /Best Instrumental Recording from Radio Music Awards, Best Classical Recording and Hall of Fame from Indie Music Channel, 5 Platinum awards in Best Classical Pianist/Best Instrumental Artist/Best female Artist/Best Classical Music categories, 3 Gold Awards in Best Female Instrumental Artist, Best Instrumental Music, Best Performance categories and Instrumentalist of the Year from LIT International Talent Awards, Best Classical Album from One World Music Radio, Steinway Top Teacher Award, 2 Best Classical Albums – Gold at One Earth Awards, 2 Best Instrumentalist awards from InterContinental Music Awards, Industry Leader and Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Awards and more.
Her albums and live concerts are broadcast worldwide, most recently in Brazil on Universidade FM 106.9 “Company of the Music”, in Canada on CKWR and Grand101.1 FM “Women in Music”, Berlin, Munich, Rome, New Zealand, Ivory Coast, London, Tokyo, Osaka, Paris, Tel-Aviv, WMNR Fine Arts Radio, NPR WLPR-FM “Art on the Air”, WQXR Greene Space live with Elliott Forrest, on WWFM “Between the Keys” with Jed Distler, WWFM “Piano Matters” and WQXR “Reflections from the Keyboard” with David Dubal.
A native of Ukraine, Sophia Agranovich won the Mykola Lysenko International Competition at ten, being the youngest participant. At thirteen she performed Concerto in E minor by Chopin in Chernivtsi, Lviv and Kyiv. Her concerts were broadcast on national TV and radio stations. Her teachers in Ukraine were professors Anna Stolarevich and Alexander Edelmann, peers of Vladimir Horowitz in the class of Felix Blumenfeld and disciples of Heinrich Neuhaus. At fifteen, Ms. Agranovich entered the Juilliard School in New York City as a student of legendary professor Sascha Gorodnitzki, who himself was a student of Josef Lhevinne (peer of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexander Scriabin). While at Juilliard, she also studied with Nadia Reisenberg, a disciple of the St. Petersburg piano school of Leonid Nikolaev and student of Hofmann and Alexander Lambert – student of Franz Liszt.
Ms. Agranovich earned Bachelor and Master Degrees from the Juilliard School, holding full scholarship and a Fellowship teaching Piano Minor at Juilliard. After graduating Juilliard, Ms. Agranovich began working towards her Doctorate at the Columbia University, but deferred that pursuit to raise a family. Ms. Agranovich also studied naturopathy, traditional Indian medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, receiving certifications in Yoga, Pilates, and other holistic disciplines. She taught Yoga and Pilates at the YMCA branch.
Sophia Agranovich is an esteemed pedagogue, lecturer, master class clinician, adjudicator, and is a recipient of numerous teaching awards. Her students often win top prizes in regional, national and international competitions and are playing at prestigious venues and internationally. They had been accepted to Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Mannes College and other notable universities. Their performances were broadcast on radio and TV, including WWFM “Kids on Keys” and WQXR “Young Artists Showcase”. Ms. Agranovich is an active member of various professional music organizations, listed annually in “Who’s Who in America” and “Who’s Who in the World”, has been featured in American Record Guide, Fanfare Magazine, New York Times, The Whole Note, Broadway World, World Culture Times, Musical America, FOX News, News ABC and other major media and news outlets. She is a voting member of NARAS (GrammysR) and GrammyU mentor, Artistic Director of “Classicals at the Circle” music series at the Watchung Arts Center and a Program Chair of Music Educators Association of New Jersey.