AMERICANIST | AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE REVIEW

Elizabeth Newkirk

Americanist

“These are all arrangements for solo piano of works better known in their original orchestral guise. I usually prefer orchestra, but La Valse sounds perfectly natural to me on the piano. Certainly the orchestra produces more fiercely violent climaxes, but the sheer difficulty of the two-hands arrangement adds a special element of danger and excitement. Newkirk never tries to match the power of an orchestra and instead patiently coaxes subtle impressionist colors from the piano.”

“William Grant Still wrote Africa first for orchestra then years later reduced it for piano. Like the Ravel, I can enjoy it either way, especially in this performance thanks to Newkirk’s beautifully impressionist shades and colors.”

“Newkirk is certainly the new standard in this rarely heard work that, despite a title promising something exotic, sounds like Debussy most of the time without strongly evoking anything in particular.”