Rhoda Pinsley Levin performs
JESU, JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING
Bach's seasonal Jesu, Joy of Man's
Desiring (Chorale from Cantata No. 147) is featured on the
late Rhoda Pinsley Levin's double CD
Pieces for Piano. Her interpretation of that
longtime Christmas musical tradition is stirring and powerful.
Bach's Chorale is complimented on her
CD
by virtuosic performances of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin,
Robert Kurka, Liszt, Gian-Carlo Menotti, Paradies, Scarlatti and
Schubert. Spanning the Baroque period to 20th century, it
demonstrates not only Mrs. Levin's extensive training and
proficiency but rare musical sensitivity and heart. Her playing
didn't merely impress listeners but deeply moved them as well.
"Not only...all the traditional skills of
speed, articulation, clarity, but...a wonderful sensitivity to tone and
phrase...turn[s] notes into something that lives and breathes. [The]
music is alive... There is no getting away from this cleanness and
clarity -- this freshness -- it is like standing on the top of a
mountain."
-- Beryl Ladd, pianist
"...one of those rare musicians who performed
at the highest professional level, without ever losing sight of the
fact that the music was more important than she or her ego
was... She sought and achieved ever-increasing mastery, not for her own
glory, but because that was what the music deserved!"
-- Audrey Schneider, pianist
"...her performance was clean and
intelligent...excellent qualities in her interpretation."
-- Morton Estrin, pianist
"The combined strength of her intellectual and
expressive abilities was always evident."
-- Blanche Abram, pianist
"...a clarity and depth like that of fine
wine... Her soul shined through her fingertips, and there was a lot of
beauty in everything she played..."
-- Carol Block Whited
Performed during her last recital tour, Jesu,
Joy of Man's Desiring was also one of the last pieces Mrs.
Levin recorded. Her selection was consistent with
her interfaith tendencies. Although Jewish, she was a citizen of
the world who embraced divergent cultures, communities and causes
regardless of social or religious connotations. (At one
point, she even selected, directed and performed Gian-Carlo Menotti's
Christmas opera Amahl and the Night Visitors.) In those
small ways, she seemed to pursue the season's ideals
of universal peace and good will, and her execution
of Bach's seasonal Chorale exudes a similar passion and sense of
conviction.
Mrs. Levin's Pieces for Piano
CD is a "must" for any fan of classical music or piano
music. To hear more excerpts, or to place an order, click
here.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Background music: Excerpt from Jesu, Joy of Man's
Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach
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