Organized by Angelo Gioè, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Lebanon, in collaboration with the National Conservatory of Music, the recital given by Gabriele Strata at the Armenian Evangelical Church in Kantari was under the sign of elegance, charm and beauty.
The Night by Ottorino Respighi already set the tone. We felt that something great was going to happen. Excerpt from the six piano pieces, the Night remind them Nocturnes by Chopin. The simplicity, the tenderness, the gentleness with which his fingers are capable of overcoming the most terrible difficulties – we will understand this in Tchaikovsky’s sonata – are the servants of this little gem of intense poetry. How difficult it is, however, to make this calm sing Night non-melodic, followed naturally by two Nocturnes by Chopin. Gabriele Strata has a solid technique and plays Chopin in a style which is not at all the one to which we are accustomed, fortunately in fact. His Chopin has lively strength. Each era has “its” way of listening to Chopin. We would certainly be disappointed if we could hear Chopin play his works himself, to the extent that his conception of the piano corresponded exactly to the needs and desires of an era which was not ours. Gabriele Strata has a sense of movement. The note he brings is clear, young, cheerful, not exempt from some candour. Delicacy does not fail him, while allowing a vigorously healthy technique to shine through.
The musician Gabriel Strata in Beirut at the invitation of the Italian Cultural Institute. Photo Nabil Ismaïl
In the 3rd ballad, Chopin is there, without waste, without fuss, or stiffness, with the breath of a long-distance runner. Of great technical difficulty, this 2e sonate by Tchaikovsky is a piece that has always been mistreated by critics. And there, our performer revealed himself to be a completely exceptional pianist, of transcendent virtuosity gifted with sumptuous playing and always perfectly controlled.
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He seems to take obvious pleasure in playing this sonata that many pianists ignore. His interpretation is lively and impactful and he combines his purely technical gifts with elegance of style and sensitivity. We have always been sensitive to recitals that end on tiptoe like this Good night by Schumann.
Organized by Angelo Gioè, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Lebanon, in collaboration with the National Conservatory of Music, the recital given by Gabriele Strata at the Armenian Evangelical Church in Kantari was under the sign of elegance, charm and beauty. Ottorino Respighi’s Notturno already set the tone. We felt that something…
