CHOPIN: Nocturne, Op. 32 No. 2; Barcarolle
BEETHOVEN: Andante Favori
SAINT-SAENS: The Swan
LISZT: Un Sospiro
GALUPPI: Sonata in C
KODALY: Marosszek Dances

Fleur de Son 57971-68 minutes

Pianist Rebecca Penneys proudly acknowledges she is a Steinway Artist. In the liner notes she speaks of her relationship with the Steinway piano and what it contributes to her playing. "Instruments make it possible for musicians to speak the language of sound… for me, a good Steinway does everything. It dreams with me and teaches me, it never tires, and it's always there, responsive and reliable."

I have been familiar with her playing on and off for the last 30 years. It is .a thrill and a pleasure to hear the paths her development has taken. Her prodigious technique was already evident when we were both students at Indiana University. A touch of genius was always part of her interpretations. Even then, she was willing to take big risks, tackling the most demanding technical and musical challenges. 

This release, however, shows her to be an artist willing to go beyond previous challenges and take the biggest risk of all: showing vulnerability, showing her heart. In doing so, Penneys offers an extraordinary collection of performances displaying an astonishing control over piano sound. It is absolutely gorgeous and full of unimaginable colors. She sings through the instrument, seemingly without effort. Her playing is simply revelatory.

Long ago, Penneys learned well the skill of rhythmic flexibility. She can stretch a phrase as much as Horowitz and still keep the listener well-oriented. So when she takes liberties with timing, it's deliberate-not like other pianists for whom timing is a blind spot. Here it makes total sense.

These days, her music-making reflects a throwback to the great pianists in the days before recording made them self-conscious. This shows in details such as the left hand ever-so-slightly anticipating the right hand. Once adjusted to this and other little throwbacks, the listener will find a listening experience full of great beauty and touching intimacy.

     Each piece invites the listener to hear anew, to hear new depths in it. She never fails to lead the ear. Her Chopin glistens and shimmers. The technical challenges in Beethoven's Andante Favori are such child's play that they recede into the background. One is used to hearing 'The Swan' from Carnival of the Animals played badly by the double-bass-more an ugly duckling than a swan. It has almost become a cliché of silliness. But in her rendering of Siloti's transcription, the melody's poignant beauty emerges.

The gestures of Un Sospiro ripple and ring. Quite special. How stunning to hear the clarity and naiveté in Galuppi's Sonata. It offers a striking contrast with Liszt's complex expression.

Kodaly's deep-rooted nationalism shows in his Dances of Marosszek-not the sort that suggests allegiance to a government, but the kind that speaks to the soul-a love of the land and culture. Penneys gets out of the way, letting the music sing, dance, shout, mourn, and rejoice.

Surprises lie in Earl Wild's transcriptions of four songs by George Gershwin, full of sentimentality and humor. Both 'Fascinatin'.  Rhythm' and 'I Got Rhythm' will leave the listener in high spirits.

     This release is not to be missed.