Search - Rossini, Giacometti :: L'Album Pour Les Enfants Adolescents

Unknown gems

Erik D. Lofquist | Shoreline, WA | 07/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a real pity that most people's knowledge of Rossini begins and ends with the operas. Few people know that he actually wrote volumes of high-quality music for solo piano and chamber ensembles. No, Rossini is no Brahms or Schumann; don't expect heavy-duty Germanic introspection. What you can expect, however, is unfailing wit, humor, brilliance, humanity, and honesty written by a man who had seen and done just about everything in his long and eventful life.The (very) young Italian pianist Giacometti is a real find. He posesses absolute control and technical brilliance without any of the annoying arrogance of so many lesser pianists. And, for such a young man, he seems very much at home with the worldly-wise experience of the aged Rossini. Equally impressive is the instrument used in this recording, a mid-19th century Pleyel (the brand favored by Chopin). The sound of this piano is gorgeous and absolutely HUGE! This piano is fully capable of the giant crescendos so thrillingly employed by Rossini.This has instantly become one of my most treasured discs, and believe me I own a lot of them!"