*** 1/2 BRAHMS: Variations on an Original Theme, and works by Schumann, Schoenberg, Kirchner. Max Levinson, piano. (Encoded Music)
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Max Levinson, a brilliant American pianist, trained first in California before he attended Northeast conservatories, is also only 25, but musically mature and fully formed technically. More important, he uses his wide spectrum of pianistic mechanics for altogether poetic ends, touching the listener deeply and often. His Brahmsian rhetoric is well-spoken, and he impresses further through irresistible application of legato and a sweeping linearity.
What is memorable about his playing is its conviction and grace, qualities expressed in every musical sentence. Consisting of Brahms’ Variations on an Original Theme, Opus 21, No. 1; the “Papillons,” Opus 2, of Schumann; Schoenberg’s Opus 19; and Kirchner’s Five Pieces (1987), this may be a connoisseur’s program, but its emotional reach is broad and heartfelt.
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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
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