"Anthony Molinaro Dazzles", Penninsula Reviews
The Cabrillo College Distinguished Artists Concert & Lecture Series started its 2005-6 last Friday at the First Congregational Church on High Street in Santa Cruz by presenting one of the world’s fine pianists Anthony Molinaro in a benefit concert for the Carole Holdaway Grand Piano Fund. Proceeds will go towards the purchase of a splendid new nine-foot Steinway concert grand piano that will be the centerpiece of Cabrillo College’s new Performing Arts Complex.
The instrument used for Friday’s Molinaro concert was an art deco piano crafted in tribute to George Gershwin in honor of his 100th birthday. The piano is dyed in brilliant blue and over 400 mother-of-pearl stars have been hand cut and inlaid in random fashion. The inner plate is gilded in silver to give the impression the piano is emanating light when opened.
Anthony Molinaro is a young and uniquely versatile pianist who offers exceptionally creative renditions of well-known standards and original compositions as well as works from the classical repertoire. Since Anthony’s victory at the 1997 Naumberg International Competition he has gained recognition for his “edge-of-the-seat brilliance and ‘musically imaginative” mind, both quotes well in line with reality.
The only work listed on the program Friday’s was an original interpretation of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The concert began with a very tasteful rendition of Mood Indigo incorporating a superb stride left hand accompaniment to a richly innovative right hand that included beautifully calculated chords and solo line work. Molinaro performed two Schubert songs that were transcribed by Franz Liszt for piano. Die Schoene Muellerin (The Maid of the Mill) and Gretchen am Spinnrad (Gretchen on the Spinning Wheel) were very musically interpreted achieving excellent balance between hands and brought out Liszt’s bombastic intentions with class and good taste. Molinaro performed Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 7, the “War Sonata”, with a refreshingly interesting interpretation. He made the very most out of the challenging third movement that presents its difficulties employing a seven-eight meter in perpetual motion that sets the stage for the controlled chaos it contains. Molinaro made the most from Prokofiev’s allusions to the great war machines of man’s dark side. He was able to combine and control tempi that resulted in one of the most interesting performances of this work I’ve ever heard. An original work of most interesting proportions was Molinaro’s composition 19/8. The texture included a 19-note ostinato pattern in the left hand woven through the entire musical texture of the movement accompanied by an improvisation in the right hand. The feature work of the evening was Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Molinaro talked about all the works prior to performing, but his comment “I’m always trying to improve Gershwin” was most accurate for this writer. The work has never been one of my favorites, but Molinaro set a musical precedence with his interpretation. The original form appeared to be kept intact, but Molinaro breathed new life into this modest work by adding block chords, stride rhythm, blues elements and creative virtuosity galore. The concert was very well received by the audience.
The AKADEMOS QUARTET with guest pianist John Orlando will perform the second concert of the Series at 7:30 pm on Sunday, October 2, 2005 at the Cabrillo College Theater.
JOSEF SEKON, D.M.A.