Product: Piano Pieces from Mozart, Elgar & Pezzone (3D Blu Ray) [Blu-ray] (2012)
Rating: 5.0
Exquisite performance, stunning video and recording
Every once in a while Art speaks for itself, something that transcends into experience. This is one I highly recommend. The warmth in the performance by Bryan Pezzone, who is widely recognized as one of the single most gifted musicians of the times, breathes from the first note to the last. Of the many remarkable things about this performance, I particularly admire how genuine it is, passionate, gentle, selective (yet spontaneous), lyrical, profound (can go on), is a nicely balanced mix of classical works with improvisations and Pezzone's compositions, and with this technology, feels like he is sitting right next to you... it embodies traditions that rarely occur anymore... there are no edits in the performance, it was done in a single, inspirational take - think back to early 20th century recordings, where you had one shot in a concert hall - go back further to the performances of some of the most significant composers of all time (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt....) who believed improvisation was elemental, and improvised regularly in serious concert environments. Bryan does this here (and as a rule in his career), and creates a tapestry of musical wealth. Too often these days, this ability is lost in the rigidity of technicians, where the goal is note-perfection at the expense of depth and soulful communication. But any musician who has had the pleasure of working with Pezzone can attest to his extraordinary skill with literally any style of music, his ability to imbue compositions with an enormously wide spectrum of colors (which Waldrep captures amazingly well!). Where most recordings feel like a photograph of a performance, THIS feels like you are right there, in the moment, experiencing the concert live.The quality of the video is spectacular, brilliant clarity of both sound and image. The technology is VERY impressive, breathtaking results. The stage is beautifully set. The extras on the disc are not to be missed, including a one-hour interview with Pezzone, which is brimming with life and insight.Elegant in every sense. Bravo!!