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REVIEWS Reviews of CD release Recuerdos de Taos. 2 Night Pieces. Dramatic Variations after a Reading of Primo Levi’s “Survival in Auschwitz” by Christos Tsitsaros Centaur Records CENTAUR 2856
The music of Tsitsaros reflects not only his keen sense for what the instrument can do, but also a sensitive and emotionally subtle handling of potentially mawkish subject matter. Recuerdos de Taos is a set of 12 brief reflections on the natural beauty of Taos and the surrounding landscapes. Although his notes, as well as the individual titles, refer to the Indian and Spanish influences that infuse the American Southwest, the music seems more influenced by nature, as reflected in a gentle, impressionistic palette. The Night Pieces are in the spirit of the great nocturnes of the repertoire. Dramatic Variations after a Reading of Primo Leviís "Survival in Auschwitz" is exactly what it says, in 16 variations on an original theme. This is a work of subtle power, encountering such observations of Levi as silent sobs over a stolen slice of bread, cries in snow and ash, and ending with music box memories ělost in the wind.î Even in the variation entitled "Toward the chamber," Tsitsaros skirts the risk of bathos. His musical reflections on this unbearable subject are individualistic, an emotional trajectory devoid of histrionics. This is a strong and eloquent voice in the contemporary world of piano music. I look forward to futures encounters. (Fanfare, Friday, March 28, 2008 by Peter Burwasser)
Reviews of CD release Piano Works by Christos Tsitsaros Centaur Records CRC2382
(Records International Catalogue, September 1998, p.19.) Pianist-composer Christos Tsitsaros was born
in Cyprus in 1961, and received his formative education in
the United States. He states in his program notes that
he began improvising as soon as he started playing, at the
age of seven. That extemporaneous quality of music making
has continued to inform his mature work. His 1993 None Tales
is a good example. The work is a suite of brief impressions,
between one and three minutes in duration, ranging from syncopated
dances and jazzy melodies pinned down with driving bass lines,
to concise contrapuntal exercises. One can imagine the
pianist happily working out the tuneful snippets at the instrument. The
music is simple, fresh, and enjoyable, like a good peasant
meal. Christos Tsitsaros plays his own music with vigor and precision. This is a fine album of uncomplicated, accessible new piano music. (Fanfare, November/December 1998, pp. 349-350.)
Review of Songs Without Words American
Music Teacher, Feb-March,
2005 by Virginia
Houser This imaginative
collection is a fresh addition to the late-intermediate piano
repertoire that will motivate students with its beautiful sounds
and emotional appeal. The opening piece, "A Winter Fable," is immediately appealing with its spacious open writing, giving ample opportunity for balanced phrasing and dynamic shading between the sequenced patterns. "Scherzo" requires lightness in fingerwork and pedaling. The wide dynamic range with sudden changes, detailed pedal indications and passages of finger legato make "Searching" one of the more challenging pieces in the collection. "Mirage" effectively incorporates a continuous bass rhythmic ostinato. "On the Wings of a Song" is a small toccato with alberti-like accompaniment figuration that must be balanced against the melody. The delightful "Milonga De Los Ninos" contains a repetitive Latin style dance rhythm. The toccato-like B section of "Sounds of the Rain" is framed by contrasting A sections of gentle patterns with an Asian flavor. From pre-college students to adult players, fro private or recital settings, this poetic music will entertain and satisfy. Reviewed by Virginia Houser, NCTM, Manhattan, Kansas.
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It
may be premature, at best, to call Christos Tsitsaros a modern
day Rachmaninoff, but it is a good reference point for considering
his album. Tsitsaros, born in Cyprus in 1961 and educated in
Warsaw, Paris, and University of Indiana (where he is currently
on the faculty), is a top-flight piano virtuoso who writes
dense, difficult music that matches his own technique. Like
the great Russian, he is indifferent to stylistic trends, with
music that is in a decidedly retro manner. A big difference
is that Tsitsaros is not likely to be ridiculed for his conservatism,
as was Rachmaninoff, in this age where anything goes, and no
school of composition dominates. The three works here all bear
the imprint of the composer/pianist, in the tradition of not
only Rachmaninoff, but also Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, and
others. This is not to say that Tsitsaros necessarily belongs
in these ranks, but you can hear the insights into technical
matters in this music to which his own virtuosity led him.
Another pianist of our day who writes music in this way is
Marc-André Hamelin, although this side of his creativity is
not well known.
Tsitsaros's
music is conventionally tonal, but incorporating atmospheric
references to tonal inflections of the folk and church music
of his native Cyprus. Figurations and piano textures
which suggest piano music of the romantic era place the composer-who
is his own first-rate interpreter here-in the tradition of
virtuoso pianist-composers, who have often been drawn to write
vivid impressions of time and place like those contained in
this appealing recital.