Customer Reviews

Baroque Album

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have enjoyed Montero's other 2 improv albums this one will be no disappointment. She has once again astounded me with her ability to maintain the structure and essence of the original works, yet bring her own personal flair to each of them by successfully integrating some of her major influences (Rachmaninoff, Chopin, etc). She is an original and so is her musical style. Its the kind of Album that one can listen to again and again and hear something new every time! Her treatment of Albinoni's Adagio and Pachabel's Canon are stunning. Plus she covers all of Vivaldi's seasons! Wonderful.

Need a treat, a classical music improvisation treat on the piano? Well, here it is. This is a really beautiful recording. I am listening to Albinoni and Bach and Handel and Vivaldi all spun just slightly differently by this astonishingly talented pianist, Gabriela Montero.

Sometimes when Glenn Gould was playing he would hum along to the music. And he'd be so carried away with himself well, he'd hum louder. In some recordings his humming is quite audible and I hate to say, distracted me from his brilliant playing--there are some recordings of Bach by him that I can't listen to anymore on account of the humming. Gabriela is also carried away with the beauty of the music but has the self-control that Gould did not.

This recording is dated last year. It's new and it's fresh. It's got a haunting lovely thoughtful and thought-provoking introspection about it. The recording quality is excellent with the piano deep and flawless.

This pianist plays with superb technical alacrity and a deep emotional connection to her art. She is a serious treat to listen to, and while slightly lighter in intensity than some of the originals that she is improvising on, her own art makes it all seem new again.

These kind of recordings with a newly discovered artist, at least to me, is something that fills my heart with a new joy. Like discovering a new favorite wine or a new author or a new artist, Montero grabs you and leads down a beautiful path of sound and spirit and feeling. Rarely has the piano sounded so clean and crisp than on this beautiful recording.

Plaudits to Gabriela Montero and also to her producer David Groves for doing such a superb job capturing her playing so finely.

So, do you need a new piano treat? Do you need a new take on lots of old baroque standards by a superb artist and technician? Well, here it is. Montero is a superb technical pianist, she is flawless from what I have heard in this recording. There is some modern sensibilities thrown into these baroque pieces by the masters but in these new incarnations they work quite well as new pieces in their own right. Imagine Vince Guaraldi mixed in with some Handel or Scarlatti; imagine the airy piano of George Winston, and the accuracy and power of Gould. It's all here for you to find.

I hope that you enjoy this beautiful recording as much as I do.

EMI Classics presents "BAROQUE ALBUM" --- Gabriela Montero in her album comments that she sees the joy of the public's involvement in the music at her concerts --- She has brought improvisation to the concert stage reminding us of the freedom and disembodiment that was always shared and promoted by the great composers of the past when they allowed themselves to `just fly.' --- They were not so concerned with being `perfect.' --- but were just honest and outspoken voices defending their need to express thru sound and meaning.

Montero covers the main themes of all four Vivaldi Seasons in three separate improvisations, and the "Hallelujah Chorus" gets a surprising little treatment that might be by Leroy Anderson --- especially liked her improvisations on two favorite Baroque themes: the "Handel Sarabande" and "Albinoni's Adagio" --- The latter receives the longest improvisation of all at seven minutes and is a jewel of a piece which I for one could hear over and over --- Montero really has something unique going on here --- one could linger on and on with her improvisations, which is pleasing to the ear.

Baroque - Gabriela Montero (Track Listings)

1 Canarios [1:40]
2 Autumn [2:24]
3 Canon [4:26]
4 Sarabande [3:50]
5 'Baroque And Me' [3:43]
6 'Hallelujah' [2:23]
7 Adagio [7:01]
8 Largo [3:41]
9 Prelude [2:01]
10 Winter [5:09]
11 Hornpipe [4:48]
12 Sonata [1:28]
13 Spring [3:45]
14 Summer And Winter [2:02]
15 'Continuum' [4:11]

Hats off to EMI Classics --- strongly recommend this CD to all music lovers and all others who need to hear some great Classical music --- Gabriela Montero please stand up and take a bow for this well deserved rare gem you've given us --- this is a keeper!

Total Time: 52 mins on 15 Tracks ~ EMI Classical ~ (10/02/2007)

I was on the fence between giving 4 stars or 5, because the first two selections just are not a great fit for the rest of the album.(The second selection makes me think of Vince Guaraldi's music for Charlie Brown.)

Since I found it Stunning what Ms. Montero can do with such overdone works like the Palchelbel and Albinoni, I had to give it 5 Stars.

Like a warm bath - It gives you a more Sensuous Side of Baroque.

I was introduced to Gabriela Montero's music via pubic radio when Vivaldi:Spring was aired, track #13 from this Baroque album. Much like spring, her improvisation seemed to be a breath of fresh morning air, something new, vibrant, unique - but unique in a good way - uplifting. So I placed it on my 'wish list' for a Christmas gift exchange at work, and after a few months of delay, the CD arrived. Good things definitely worth waiting for.

The CD exceeded my expectations, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The first two tracks are lively sounding jazz-like interpretations. Others have commented that Gabriela imitates Vince Guaraldi stylistically and that is evident on these two tracks as well as track #9, the Bach prelude. Track 6 features melody from Handel's Hallelujah Chorus but re-done in what sounds like a rag. Who could imagine the Hallelujah Chorus dressed in rag time?!? Yet the versatile Montero pulls it off. She also demonstrates a much deeper, delicate, soft side using Pachelbel's Canon. She executes her phrases flawlessly, demonstrating various degrees of pianos, pianissimos, fortes and fortissimos - not with gratuitous showmanship but rather artistic purpose. Her rendition of Handel's Sarabande (track 4) sounds as though it were influenced by Bach himself! A marvelous work of improvisation. All that said my favorite is track 14, Vivaldi: Summer and Winter. One can hear right in the beginning a combination of 'Flight of the Bumble bee' mixed with Vivaldi's thunderstorm from his season of summer. The track features Gabriela's virtuosity as she plays furiously across the keyboard but extremely clean and Gabriela demonstrates considerable power here too. Sadly the track is only 2 minutes long.

The piano sounds wonderfully voiced and the clarity and quality of this recording is outstanding! I believe this CD would be enjoyed by a variety of people, including those who are novices when it comes to classical music. It would make a great desert-island disc.

I highly recommend it!

Congratulations to Gabriela Montero for develop a great experience and enjoy on some Baroque themes, excellent fluid improvisations. Not only an Excellent Piano player but a great musician Gabriela is. I think we like to hear more new music creations than more interpretations. I hope to enjoy more music creations like this CD from Montero and from others with this amazing talent.

La belle Vénézuellienne s'est fait connaître en trois disques d'improvisations très achevés ; son Baroque est des plus colorés ; son Bach sort de l'incontournable Jacques Lousier des années '60.... Touchée par la Grâce, il faut la voir dans les clips sur UTube, sifloter trois notes puis les décliner dans une multitude de trouvailles musicales totalement débridées ; Mozart, Ludwig Van B. et d'autres faisaient çà très bien : disséquer un thème et recherhcher des complications contrapuntiques. Vous pourrez acheter les trois disques d'un coup, car un seul vous laisse un goût d'inachevé, comme dans les feuilletons, on veut toujours connaître la suite...Son site internet est copieux: allez entendre ses impros de son "living room", çà vaut franchement la peine ! Viva Gabriella ! Ole !

Up until now I have never heard of Gabriela Montero. I recently discovered her this weekend when I was rummaging through the cd bins at my library and came across her BAROQUE ALBUM. Curiousity got me and I took the cd home with me. I have to admit I thought I was going to hear some operatic singing but much to my surprise (and delight), what I got was 52 minutes of sumptuous piano music that was a mix of classical and improvisational jazz. I definitely could hear the improvisational skills of Gabriela tinkling the ivory keys while staying true to the songs' intricate melodies. I think Gabriela does an excellent job in interpretating these timeless baroque songs with her style of pieno playing. My only minor gripe is that her version of "Canon" was a tad too quiet. I had to turn up the volume of my stereo to really hear the grand beauty of the song. I kinda felt the same way about "Adagio" however the song was not as subtle in volume. Despite this minor flaw, I felt the album is still worthy enough for five stars. I found the music to be very relaxing to listen to. I definitely will be checking out Gabriela's other albums.

I've not heard Gabriela before I listened to this album. It didnt take me more than a single listening to conclude that this is not a usual classical album, nor is it Jazz improvisation...it is something divine..it gives a certain peace of mind, a certain surprise, a certain happiness listening to Gabriela's improvisations. Simply fantastic! Its only a few hours since I've know this great artist and Im a already her fan! Fantastic album! Album's like these cannot be rated by stars.

Gabriela Montero's Baroque album shows how a young but accomplished and imaginative artist can shed more light on Baroque composers and their music. I was totally astonished. Improvisation with classical music is not new in the sense that this has been done in the jazz idiom. Transcriptions such as Lizt's are not improvisations but adaptations. Montero's work for piano, however, is not only new but in doing this she shows courage and determination in what she believes. As well, her improvisations are spontaneous and therefore different from one public concert performance to another. This Venezualan artist adds a South American combined with a jazz flavour to her playing which is irresistable. I learned of Montero through listening to her in a live radio broadcast on a show called Studio Sparks in Ottawa, Canada, CBC Radio, hosted by Eric Friesen.

David Erickson, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada