Pianist Eliza Garth’s latest Albany Records release, “Tour de Force,” is the perfect music for the Rites, and the Rights, of Spring. In this season of protest and forthcoming change, the album consists of music by two contemporary composers, from whom, through Garth’s hands, we get a sense of turmoil and a world to come.
The first body of selections is Sheree Clement’s Piano Preludes, a series that, while written over the course of a generation, feel thematically related. These pieces range from one minute to eight, so they are piano tapas, tonal poems that resonate with sturm-und-drang and change, and each has its own wisdom. There are thirteen in all and the questions asked, and sometimes answered, are ideal for Spring listening, with the latest Nor’easter whistling at the windows.
Also featured is “Of Points Fixed and Fluid,” by Perry Goldstein, which brings challenges and wisdom as well. This hero’s quest of virtuosity dazzles with the knowledge that it takes a pianist of deep skill and experience to wrest the nuanced phrases from a work of great breadth.
Garth’s phrasing, nuance, dynamic expertise, and virtuosity answer the challenges posed by each of these composers, in an album where I hear echoes of the passion of the Parkland students, the turmoil of our current political situation, and the warmth of the Summer to come, all distilled in one beautifully movable feast. Download from your favorite music service or purchase the CD today for yourself or as a gift. Music always fits!