Frédéric Chopin: In Celebration of his 210th Anniversary
Label: Centaur Records Catalog: 3805 | CD/MP3/Streaming Album distributed by NAXOS
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Sonata No. 2 in B♭ minor, Op. 35
Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20
Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor Op. 31
Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54
Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53 ‘Héroïque’
Take 3 #228 – OneWorldMusicRadio
Interview in the March-April 2021 Issue of Fanfare: http://www.fanfarearchive.com/
Interview in MainlyPiano
Reviews
“A must-have for anyone who loves Chopin, and for those who don’t, you will.”
“Beyond the sheer strength and virtuosity required to play them, which Agranovich aces, she manages somehow to solve the emotional paradoxes that confront both the player and the listener by finding the musical connections between Schumann’s ‘love and contempt’ that link them. These are revelatory readings of the Scherzos, possibly the best I’ve ever heard.”
“François-Joseph Fétis, who commented that ‘Beethoven composed music for the piano; Chopin composed music for pianists.’ It’s not for nothing that Chopin has been called ‘the poet of piano.’ Whether Agranovich was familiar with Fétis’s quote or not, I don’t know, but she plays the sonata, not as if it were written for the piano, but as if it were written for her, which is to say it is a very personal and deeply felt performance…I thrill to Sophia Agranovich’s playing of Chopin as I do to no one else’s, and for that reason I award this release my strongest recommendation.”
–Jerry Dubins, Fanfare
“On this recording, Sophia Agranovich is in communion with Frederic Chopin. As we listen to her play, we may close our eyes, if we dare, to see the music, as it leaves the piano, to take shape as an entity in line to be jettisoned into our psyche propelled by the hand of a master musician. We get the feeling that this is how the maestro would have it sound. There is elegance in each stanza. There is power when called for, and comfort for the audience in the safety of a devoted and reliable artist. Listening to Ms. Agranovich is effortless. From the first note, you are instantly transported into the splendor of the vision of 1839 as seen through the eyes of this modern interpreter… It is no surprise that Ms. Agranovich has a stunning biography… She has recorded the great works of Beethoven, Liszt, Brahms, and others…This recording (on Centaur Records) is 1 hour 12 minutes tour de force. A lesson in excellence.”
-Joe Kidd, Clouzine Magazine
“This is one of the finest recordings she has been captured in: the piano sound is full, there is no touch of falseness or harshness…first movement has great structural and musical integrity… Marcia funèbre, by some way the finest movement, offers a clear distinction between the ominous and the hope of salvation…the songful, folksong-indebted legato melody a real place of refuge (the melody is a Polish Christmas song); the interruptive chords make a real shock impact.”
“She finds modernity in Chopin’s writing, too, which bodes well for the enigmatic Fourth, a piece whose mysteries form the graveyard of many a pianist. Agranovich’s way with the final Scherzo is bold, almost at times modernist. She absolutely takes the work on its own terms, finding inspiration in Chopin’s sense of searching. It’s an impulsive reading that can only have come about through deep consideration of just what makes this piece tick; a seeming contradiction that just adds to the fascination. And again, when Chopin’s lyrical melodic side comes to the fore, Agranovich is at her very best, with a golden right-hand tone.”
–Colin Clarke, Fanfare
“In interpreting this work, Agranovich takes its dynamics for all she is worth, particularly at extreme ends of the keyboard. The tone she coaxes from her Steinway D is remarkably well-centered, and the recorded sound admirably captures her bold approach to the challenges of a work that she does not take for granted. The union of keen interpretive insight and keyboard dynamics continues in this pianist’s survey of Chopin’s quirky Four Scherzi…A terrific recital.”
–Audio Video Club of Atlanta
“Marche Funebre moves forward with grim determination until the lovely central section. The ghostly Finale is quite a thrilling ride, worthy of anyone’s attention.”
“The Scherzos are played with sparse pedal and an impressive display of technical prowess. If they are not like any other performances I have heard, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, they have an edge-of-your-seat energy and nervous jitter to them that is alluringly different and sometimes shakes the listener up. There is much pent-up energy at the point of explosion that fits the Scherzos especially well. I do like the way she plays around with the last (and greatest) Scherzo. It is not a relaxing performance, but it is a great traversal with an almost acidic humor that should be heard. Her feeling
for the composer is well displayed in the slow lyrical section. How she fares with the famous Heroic Polonaise is a little more traditional, pushing forward with energy and determination. Once again, Agranovich writes her own excellent notes and the Steinway D sounds forth with energy to complement this often fabulous recital.”
–Alan Becker, American Record Guide
“Ms Agranovich’s performance is flawless with dazzling precision and passion (not necessarily in that order!), moving effortlessly from pianistic fireworks to deep despair and mourning to graceful lyrical lines that are pure poetry. I think it’s a real bonus that Ms Agranovich also wrote the liner notes for the album, giving insight into both the origins and history of the each piece as well as her approach to and interpretation of some of the passages of those works.”
“Both physically and emotionally demanding, Agranovich handles the music with power, grace and ease. The third movement, “Marche funèbre,” is one of those classical pieces that became almost cliché from overuse in cartoons and other pop culture, but Agranovich imbues the piece with such deep emotion that I feel like I’m really hearing it for the first time.”
“Agranovich is a wonder in her performance of these very demanding works… From thundering chords and octaves to lightning-fast runs to tender lyricism, Agranovich gives it her all and makes it her own. Brava! her performance of these Chopin works is nothing short of amazing.”
-Kathy Parsons, MainlyPiano
Liner Notes by Sophia Agranovich