Album reviews
Simone Dinnerstein
‘Bach: A Strange Beauty’
(SONY CLASSICAL)
Bach is an institute, and Simone Dinnerstein has come, seen and is in the apt process of conquering — or to some conservative listeners, showing off a flair for igniting controversy.
The American pianist raised funds herself to record her 2007 album of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” which caught the eye of the Telarc label and wound up becoming No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Music Chart.
Praised by Time magazine for her “arresting freshness and subtlety,” she topped the chart the following year with “The Berlin Concert,” featuring more works by Bach as well as Beethoven and Philip Lasser.
In her debut with Sony Classical, the New York-based artist offers fans a slice of her Bach world, and fans in Korea can finally check out what all the hype is about.
The recording is marked by both an ebb and flow, unnerving verve and unassuming grace, brilliant twists and hushed nuances, that evoke the very words of Sir Francis Bacon that inspired the album title — “There is no excellent beauty, that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.”
The strangeness here — the controversy surrounding her music — perhaps stems from doubts about whether she stays true to Bach’s period style. She doesn’t seem to be one to venture off to experiment with a harpsichord — but there is an intelligent performer at play constantly probing the composer’s intentions.
The album features an untamed, yet at the same time, surprisingly serene rendition of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” in Myra Hess’ transcription. In English Suite No. 3, she makes fearlessly rapid runs that are at times brilliant and other times over-pedaled, yet in the slower movements she brings surprising touches that tug at the heartstrings.
"What I like is a sound that is incredibly clear, and where I can play as quietly as I want to play and as quickly as I want to play without any resistance from the instrument," she said. She doesn’t play the way you expect, and this perhaps stems from her atypical entry into the piano circuit: The pianist began piano lessons quite late when she was seven, and though she graduated from Juilliard, auditions were difficult for her and she spent most of her 20s and early 30s doing gigs at nursing homes and even prisons.
One can only hope she will continue to surprise listeners with the strange beauty of her playing.
Why we recommend it: The album takes its title from Francis Bacon — “There is no excellent beauty, that hath not some strangeness in the proportion,” and Dinnerstein bring an arresting ebb and flow to Bach.
Best tracks: The emotionally probing English Suite No. 3 (tracks 6-11)
Three-and-a-half stars out of four.
—LEE HYO-WON
Flo Rida
‘Only One Flo Part 1’
(WARNER MUSIC KOREA)
American rapper Flo Rida released his mini-album domestically last month, bringing to disc the hits that have worked their way to popularity here. The predominantly night club tracks carry a straightforward danceable quality, if lacking in depth. Flo Rida manages to create the facade of exceptional music, with plenty of guest features ranging from Ludacris to Akon.
Standouts include the top singles from the release, such as the party-ready “Club Can’t Handle Me” and “Who Dat Girl,” mixing smooth raps with melodic choruses. The celeb-heavy “Why You Up in Here” (featuring Ludacris, Git Fresh and Gucci Mane) provides an entertaining diversion for the album as well. But aside from the few highlights, the remainder falls into bland obscurity.
Flo Rida, who announced the launching of his own label International Music Group last month, shows that he is skilled... but not the only one.
Two stars out of four.
— INES MIN
Ray Chen
‘Virtuoso’
“Virtuoso” is a pretty ambitious title for a budding 21-year-old violinist’s debut album.
And yet, just like the Washington Post put it, “Ray Chen can do pretty much anything he wants on the violin,” and he shows it loud and clear by showcasing a wide range of works that only musicians in the very top flight dare tackle.
The winner of the 2008 Yehudi Menuhin and 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competitions brings a tasteful selection of his personal favorites. He leaps nimbly over the fiendishly difficult phrasings of “Devil’s Trill,” which gave its supernova composer Tartini a reputation for having six fingers on his left hand. Chen opts to balance out the fireworks display of the opener with a simple yet delicate Chaconne from Partita No. 2 by Bach. The young violinist then shows more virtuosic finger work for Variations on an Original Theme for Violin and Piano by Wieniawski, before wrapping up with a poetic Violin Sonata by Franck.