In addition to showcasing their intricate mastery of beautiful centuries old pieces, one of the gifts contemporary classical musicians can bless us with is the opportunity to allow the timeless music and its legendary composers speak to us in the present, addressing our current concerns, calming our anxieties, elevating our senses and exciting and inspiring us anew.
Sophia Agranovich, a Ukranian born, Julliard educated classical concert pianist, music educator and artistic director, has been engaging in these time-traveling sonic miracles since 2010 when she released her debut album Romantic Virtuoso Masterpieces, which showcased pieces from Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Alexander Scribain. In the decade and a half since, she’s gifted us with deeper explorations of Liszt, Brahms, Schubert, Chopin and Beethoven. On her latest collection, the mesmerizing, dynamically performed Album Leaf, she for the first time brings Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) to life with a colorful array of rarely performed compositions that by her own admission require exceptional virtuosity and convey deep emotional resonance.
From the 16 and half minute immersion into the alternately gentle/graceful, then highly percussive and dramatic “Fantasie in F sharp minor, Op. 28 – a work in three movements designed to be played without pause – through the stunning, free-flowing glories of “3 Etudes, Op. 104b” followed by the brief, whimsical “Etude in F Minor,” 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. Some 200 years after Mendelssohn composed these pieces, these works provide a profound exploration of personal and universal human experiences rooted in the past but still vibrant and illuminating in the present.
Along the way, Sophia also exuberantly uncovers contemporary relevance in the thoughtful, joy filled “Albumblatt, Op. 117,” which originally may have been intended for the composer’s ample Songs Without Words series; “3 Caprices, Op. 33,” which Schumann described as having three contrasting moods; the epic eleven minute “Variations sérieuses, Op. 54, MWV U 156,” consisting of a theme in D minor and 17 variations, written as part of a campaign to raise fund to erect a large bronze statue of Beethoven in his hometown of Bonn; and the powerful closing piece, “Rondo capriccioso, Op. 14, MWV U67,” considered by many one of Mendelssohn’s most important and beautiful piano works. It dates to 1824, when he composed an Etude in E Minor in his trademark elfin style, with delicate points of imitation and scurrying passagework, in addition to intense martellato passages.
Emphasizing the need in our modern world for Mendelssohn’s music and the overall aesthetic and mindset it represents, Sophia says, “I have always appreciated Mendelssohn’s music, but recently I’ve been captivated by its sincere expressivity, beautifully flowing melodies, and the passionate spirit of Romanticism—all perfectly harmonized within the Classical tradition. His compositions are infused with beauty, a love for life, kindness, optimism, and even a touch of light humor, all of which beautifully balance the expressions of tragedy and deep drama. Mendelssohn's grandfather, the famous philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, was a model for Lessing’s Nathan the Wise, representing tolerance in a harsh world. I believe Felix inherited this worldview, making his music particularly relevant and meaningful today.”
She adds that the creation of Album Leaf was a special and unique experience as part of her ever-evolving artistry: “I thoroughly enjoyed every step of the creative journey: rediscovering Mendelssohn’s genius, exploring and selecting various pieces, learning and interpreting them, performing the program in a series of concerts, recording, writing program notes, and deepening my understanding of this remarkable composer.”
Assuming Sophia’s Album Leaf inspires her listeners learn more about Felix Mendelssohn and his works – and it definitely should – they will discover a fascinating historical “fun fact.” Johann Sebastian Bach's stature as a composer of such extraordinary genius and widespread influence is so firmly established in Western culture that it is difficult to imagine that for years after his death in 1750, his music and reputation languished in obscurity, virtually unknown to all but a few specialists. It was through Mendelssohn's recognition of Bach's genius and his efforts in making Bach's works accessible to a wider public that these works are today recognized as ever-enduring peaks of musical expression.
Since Sophia explored the Schumann canon on three previous albums, it makes poetic sense to close with what Schumann himself thought of Mendelssohn: “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.”
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