Here I am to discuss my review of Simone Renzi's CD. I open the discussion with full agreement regarding what Maestro Ferrarelli reported, but I would like to delve into the details of each movement to provide my own personal reading of the merits to be recognized in this young and talented classical piano promise.
The difficulty of the repertoire is already deducible from the choice of authors, each of whom requires being understood and interpreted with a coherence that Simone was able to provide right from the start with Mozart's Sonata K. 545 in C Major.
The "simple sonatina" is so called because it is made to be played by piano students who must begin to learn Mozart's Piano Sonatas. However, one must distinguish didactic performance from concert performance. At a concert level, in fact, the 545 ranks, in my opinion, among the most arduous of Mozart's entire group of piano sonatas. It indeed requires great technical equality, clarity, and expression that we do not find in other sonatas. The fact that it is considered an "easy" sonata is the very element that makes it most difficult, precisely because the audience expects a perfect performance. The correct execution of this sonata, as with Mozart's other sonatas, is an image and communication of simplicity without technical exaggeration. Simone succeeds in rendering a beautiful first movement with a clean and measured sound, not lacking great dynamic expression in the ascending and descending scales that follow for the entire duration of the piece. The trills are magnificent, which after developing in speed close impeccably, as does the very clean left hand, in which we hear careful and meticulous study of the voices. Great cleanliness also in the exchange of parts and in the play and dialogue between the two hands that Mozart continuously proposes.
The second movement is one of the most beautiful cantabile adagios ever written. I agree with Simone in wanting to interpret this adagio with a dreamy tempo, which gives us moments of great expressiveness through chromaticism. The repetitions and changes of mood are treated with great breadth, conveying strong emotions, driven by an infinite indecision between pain and lightheartedness. In the G minor section, there is a great execution of that D coming from an ascending third progression that seems to want to scream to the world "I can't take it anymore" before calming down and finding peace in G major after a soothing chromaticism.
The Rondo is anything but showy or ostentatious; it perfectly reflects the performer's choice to treat this sonata with extreme simplicity while enhancing the great musical depth that permeates the entire piece. The performer also did not forget to highlight Mozart's choice to use a canon theme for this third movement.
We come to the Fantasy in C minor K. 475.
One could write a book about this one, but I must try to keep my pen in check.
The performance does not start from the first note of the sonata, but from a breath of the pianist that already tells us everything about the atmosphere we will gradually traverse.
Indeed, the key of C minor immediately storms upon us, weighing on our chest like a mountain.
The theme repeats in the bass for several bars in a descending chromatic progression that ends in an interrogative phase, where the harmonies do not know where to go, but then D major returns, bringing fresh air and making us breathe infinite joy. The touch is beautiful, the sound is stupendous. The inevitable returns in allegro tempo. Excellent management of dynamics and technique. Again, a sense of play, a lightheartedness. It is incredible how the performer absorbs the composer's stimuli and transmits them with great ability. The cantabile in the right hand is excellent. Strings exchanging theme notes; it feels like listening to an orchestra.
An un più allegro with unmistakable technical difficulties, played very cleanly. The central note was sung—the one to which maximum importance should be given. Easy to say but difficult to do. The closing of all thoughts approaches again with the first movement, which this time concludes with a very fast ascending scale in C minor that seeks to designate for the last time the inevitability of death, which storms forcefully, taking away all hope in an instant.
These are the emotions I had while listening to this magnificent performance.
A Debussy that is truly very heartfelt, flying high among the clouds. Not by chance, for those who did not know, "rêverie" in French means "dream, fantasy." Debussy is perhaps the composer who more than any other should be listened to with eyes closed, to better perceive images. I close my eyes and listening, I see myself flying high with arms wide open, without fear, I am not cold, I scan the world, I look at the beauties that only from there can I see in the night, now"},
I fly over the sea and hear the sweet sound of the waves. But the time has come to return home. Flying low, one wakes up with the taste in their mouth of the most beautiful dream of freedom ever had.
If I had to find an expression to judge this performance, I would say "chilling!"
I won't continue analyzing Debussy's pieces because I might be taken for a madwoman; I will only say that I greatly appreciated the impressionistic quality of Clair de lune and the freshness and gaiety of the first arabesque. I proceed with Liszt.
Perhaps it is the only performance in which one senses less maturity, as Maestro Ferrarelli tells us. It seems to me that attention was focused too much on perfect technical success and less on interpretation. I don't know what is meant by a youthful performance. It would be interesting to know the pianist's age before expressing judgments. In any case, the technique is exquisitely precise and admirable.
I couldn't wait to get to Chopin.
This Chopin is not an execution of Chopin, it is the execution of Chopin. Masterful! Believe me when I tell you that I have never even heard a fourth ballad of this level from the great famous concert pianists! I cannot find any flaws. The cantabile parts are wonderful, suffering from the first to the last note while maintaining a calm in the highly skillful phrasing. The voices are perfectly divided and recognizable even in the most complex and harmony-rich parts. Excellent technique and clarity without equal. Bravo, bravo, and bravo again! It was an incredible emotion for me to listen to this fourth ballad.
Finally, let's move on to Chopin's étude. I also believe it is an encore; after a program like this, one had to finish with fireworks. The idea of Chopin's loss of spirit after the news of the fall of Warsaw was very well conveyed.
Regarding the audio, the piano sound is beautiful and the "from the pianist" perspective is spot on. It is not unusual, in fact, to hear the pianist breathing or singing; this choice immerses us in his world, helping us to understand and interpret his intentions.
Simone, congratulations! From the bottom of my heart, you are a great pianist, never give up, even if you will receive negative comments in life resulting from envy—there are many of them; ignore them, you have talent to spare, and laugh in their faces. There are envious people ready to rejoice at your every tear, but who die inside every time you smile, and you must give your smiles to those who appreciate you. Especially your fourth ballad literally moved me! Halfway through the performance, I had tears in my eyes.
Thank you truly from the bottom of my heart!
