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After two song albums together with Ian Bostridge, pianist Saskia Giorgini returns to PENTATONE with a solo recording of Franz Liszt’s Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. Liszt is often seen as a showman, but much of his music reveals his introspective, searching nature. This is demonstrated above all in Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, one of his most ambitious, contemplative and enigmatic compositions, inspired by Lamartine’s eponymous poetry, Liszt’s Roman Catholic faith as well as the 1848-1849 revolutions. To Giorgini, “this music is deeply humane and sincere, tender, but also full of the most sorrowful, violent, painful moments that Liszt ever put into music.” Its ten movements constitute a quest for the deeper meaning of human existence, clothed in music of ravishing beauty. Saskia Giorgini is one of the most promising pianists of her generation, who has won several competitions and is hailed for her technical command and the beauty and poetry of her sound. Her PENTATONE discography features well-received recordings of Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin (2020) and Respighi Songs (2021), together with Ian Bostridge. Reviews BBC Music Magazine January 2022 “Giorgini’s affinity with this reflective music is evident from the outset. Formidable technical ability is matched by the architectural sense, harmonic sensibility and coloristic range this sprawling music demands. Her shaping of climaxes demonstrates complete control of pace and dynamics, on a Bösendorfer which never sounds brash. – 5 out of 5 stars Fanfare July/August 2022 “[Giorgini] her playing is often subtle, she can be daring as well. That’s especially clear in her willingness to play with the tempo (listen to how she stretches fermatas), but you’ll also hear it in her willingness to churn things up with an extra touch of virtuoso splash (for instance, the glorious sonic waves in “Miserere d’après Palestrina”) or with heightened melodrama (most notably in “Pensée”). Gramophone Magazine January 2022 “Her masterful authority immediately captures your attention in the carefully sculpted climaxes of the opening ‘Invocation’. So does the pianist’s subtle textural differentiation in the sparer, more introspective ‘Ave Maria’…Well worth hearing. The Guardian 2nd December 2021 “Giorgini first made her name by winning the international Mozart competition in Salzburg five years ago, but she is clearly a very fine Lisztian, too. |
