SIMON GHRAICHY - 33

"The first thing that strikes you about this album is the colorful sound Simon Ghraichy brings out from the instrument. This is also due to the unique timbre of the piano and the relatively close recording. The album starts with a lovely transcription by the pianist, followed by uniquely programmed set of pieces and composers, the center of which is Schumann’s “Humoreske” and “Etudes In Variation Form on a Theme By Beethoven” (based on the second movement of the Seventh Symphony).

Schumann also stands in the center of the album conceptually, with pieces such as Chilly Gonzales’ “Robert on the bridge”, a commissioned piece, with Gonzales joining in. Other connections emerge, such as the latin-sounding “Passionato” movement in the variations, resembling the short Ramirez transcription heard earlier (track 3) or the almost circular opening of the Humoreske, echoed later in the minimalist music of Philip Glass and Michael Nyman..." - The Classic Review