…”The star of Rosa Antonelli seems to be in the ascendant. This set of performances, caught live in the Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall, New York in October 2011, confirms impressions left by her Albany disc Abrazando, reviewed by myself in Fanfare 39:3, of a pianist of utmost sensitivity, one clearly hyper-attuned to the music of South America.

First, though, comes a splendid Chopin nocturne (the posthumously published C♯-Minor). Now, with the advantage of video, one can see how much of her attention is channeled into her fingers. There is no superfluous display here; we delight, instead, in the sheer variety of tone she coaxes from her Steinway. Any hint of a dance rhythm finds her basking in the sudden elevation of mood before it is subsumed back into the primary material. The spell cast by Antonelli’s performance of the Nocturne would hover longer if it were not for the heinous immediate applause; what a shame we listeners are not allowed to luxuriate in Chopin’s miraculous afterglow.

It feels like home turf for Antonelli with Ginastera’s Danza del gaucho matrero, the third of the three Danzas argentinas of that composer’s op. 2. If the camera-work is not always completely rock-steady, the performance itself is shot through with furious energy. Antonelli’s performance is little short of magnificent, its natural momentum building to an impression less of virtuosity per se but of real majesty. Antonelli has recorded all three Argentine Dances on her Albany disc Esperanza (see Fanfare 35:1); of course Martha Argerich’s astonishing recording live from the Concertgebouw, now on Warner, takes some beating, but Antonelli has an almost equivalent fire.

The smokiness of Piazzolla’s Chau, Paris is shot through with regret and yet speaks strongly of Argentina in its harmonies and rhythms; the highly dissonant Sentido único has a relentless side that flowers under Antonelli’s fingers, with any contrasts Piazzolla offers gratefully received by the listener. Antonelli’s tone is perfect for this music—dark and strong—and certainly, she never breaks the sound of her instrument. Intense, but not harsh, would sum up her sound perfectly.

This is a superb reminder of the talent of Rosa Antonelli. One hopes the entire recital will become available at some stage. Colin Clarke”