"AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE MAY/JUNE , 2002
Pietro De Maria, piano
By Margaret M Barela
SCARLATTI: 3 Sonatas;
SCHUBERT: Wanderer Fantasy;
LISZT: 2 Petrarch Sonnets; Reminiscences of Don Juan; CHOPIN: Polonaise in A-flat VAI 1204--72 minutes

Judging from this recording of a concert in February of 2001, Pietro De Maria has a ferocious technique that encompasses his broad temperament. His Wanderer Fantasy is a powerful and exciting statement. Going beyond technical demands, he projects the broad, al most orchestral gestures so hard to master in Schu bert's piano writing. He allows the listener to hear the work in new ways, because attention is drawn away from technical hurdles and to the line or the structure or formerly hidden countermelodies. He breathes new life into the piece. I remember what a revelation Sviatoslav Richter's recording from the 1960s was. In comparison with De Maria, Richter's now sounds labored in spots--and not as daring.

Here is a lyrical performance driven by the demands of the music, and all the more im pres sive given the circumstances of the recording. He doesn't pull away from the most demanding technical passages, nor does he allow superficiality to surface in the intimate slow variations. His concentration sustains the thread of thought from beginning to end of this cyclic work. His musical intelligence is readily apparent. The biggest pleasure in De Maria's Wanderer Fantasy lies in the way he leads the ear to the inner voices, to the note that subtly changes a harmony.

He seems to have thought seriously about the architecture and about how the notes fit in, whether their role is one of melody or harmony or both, or mere flourish. It seems these are the factors that determined his choice of tempos. And the tempos feel right because the roles of the notes are clear.

Liszt's Petrarch Sonnets 104 and 123 start out as another story, sounding musically somewhat forced, at least toward the beginning of 104. A sense of repose is elusive until near the end. This is fortunate because of the need to establish an atmosphere of a dreamy intimacy and longing in the beginning of 123. There is some restlessness later in 123, then a return to dreaminess. Lovely.

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Listen to music played from the CD by Pietro De Maria

All music selections are partial clips except where noted.

Selected pieces:
composer Muzio Clementi

Sonata in G Major Op. 40, No. 1
Allegro molto vivace (complete)

Sonata in B Minor Op. 40, No. 2
Molto adagio e sostenuto

Sonatata in D Major, Op. 40, No.3
Adagio molto - Allegro (complete)

Allegro

naxos

vai music

De Maria easily has the resources to subordinate the huge technical demands of Liszt's Reminiscences de Don Juan (after Mozart's opera) to the musical and dramatic demands of the paraphrase. This piece is not as well thought out as, nor does it have the persuasiveness of the Wanderer Fantasy. The same factors that guided his choice of tempos and timing in the Wanderer Fantasy (roles of notes) would have served him here. Much of the point of this music is certainly serious, and the pianist conveys his seriousness. But he rarely smiles or shows humor in his playing. It would have been nice to "hear" Liszt's (and Mozart's) sly wink and smile when appropriate. It's hard to pinpoint just how this is achieved. Often it is in timing or in how gestures are delivered. One certainly hears it in Horowitz's playing of Liszt.

Of the three Scarlatti sonatas, the most persuasive is K 39 in A. The problem with K 394 in E minor is its floridity in the beginning of the second half: more gracefully carried off on a harpsichord, but somewhat precious and clunky sounding on the piano. The lyricism of the main thematic material is mesmerizing. The playful A-major has its technical challenges, with repeated notes in alternating hands. What a delight! The third, an encore in D minor (K 1), is a wonderful little piece of puffery.

The pianist tosses off the second encore, Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat. While the music certainly invites such treatment, it might have been more convincing had he invested more of what made the main courses of this feast so wonderful: a sense of drama, attention to structure and timing, clean delivery, and careful pedaling. Nonetheless, this release certainly makes me want to hear this warmly intelligent and musical pianist in person.

By Margaret M Barela