"Piano Music, 1947-2005"
Benjamin Lees: Piano Music 1947-2005
Featured Artist : Mirian Conti Performance: 5 Stars Sound: 5 Stars Release Date 2008 / Time 71:31 Label : Toccata Classics[69] - AMG Album ID W 171705 Review by Shirely Ratcliffe |
 |
From International Piano Selection, July-August 2008 ...
American composer Benjamin Lees was born in China in 1924. His most influential composition tutor was George Antheil and sojourns in Helsinki, Vienna and France expanded his horizons. He met members of the Surrealist movement including Duchamp, Man Ray and Dali, which was to color his approach to composition.
Flamboyant and virtuostic, the Toccata invokes the spirit of the composer's Russian family origins. Argentinian pianist Mirian Conti tosses this off with considerable panache. The Six Ornamental Studies is a bravura work: pulsating chords, driving rhythms and contrasting moods have the shade of Rachmaninoff--who had been a seminal influence--hovering in the background. Rhythmically restless changes of pace vying with quiet passages that demand much from the performer are a feature of the three Preludes--Conti doesn't disappoint. The concise, humorous one-movement Sonata Breve allows for the development of the main subject, which pops up in unexpected places. Odyssey--written over a period of time--is the pinnacle of the composer's achievement and a tour de force for the pianist. Here he draws together all his mastery, exploiting the ranges of the instrument to take us on his journey into the unknown. Conti's outstanding technique and insightful understanding make for a thrilling experience.
Shirley Ratcliffe
American composer Benjamin Lees was born in China in 1924. His most influential composition tutor was George Antheil and sojourns in Helsinki, Vienna and France expanded his horizons. He met members of the Surrealist movement including Duchamp, Man Ray and Dali, which was to color his approach to composition.
Flamboyant and virtuostic, the Toccata invokes the spirit of the composer's Russian family origins. Argentinian pianist Mirian Conti tosses this off with considerable panache. The Six Ornamental Studies is a bravura work: pulsating chords, driving rhythms and contrasting moods have the shade of Rachmaninoff--who had been a seminal influence--hovering in the background. Rhythmically restless changes of pace vying with quiet passages that demand much from the performer are a feature of the three Preludes--Conti doesn't disappoint. The concise, humorous one-movement Sonata Breve allows for the development of the main subject, which pops up in unexpected places. Odyssey--written over a period of time--is the pinnacle of the composer's achievement and a tour de force for the pianist. Here he draws together all his mastery, exploiting the ranges of the instrument to take us on his journey into the unknown. Conti's outstanding technique and insightful understanding make for a thrilling experience.
Shirley Ratcliffe