Naxos' American Classics disc Louis Moreau Gottschalk: Piano Music, featuring internationally known pianist
Cecile Licad, is a noteworthy marriage of player and repertoire.
Licad has established herself in core European literature such as
Chopin and
Ravel, but it has been a long time since anyone has heard her on record; audiences in
Licad's native Manila and at the Santa Fe Music Festival have been somewhat luckier.
Licad credits producer Emile Kraemer for encouraging her to undertake the case of Gottschalk, whose dazzling and infectious music bears all the hallmarks of top-tier nineteenth century Romantic style, yet is still strangely lacking in credibility among scholars and interpreters well-versed in the work of Gottschalk's European contemporaries. What
Licad brings to the table is her understanding of
Chopin, who was Gottschalk's main influence, and words cannot convey how well this works -- you simply have to hear it. Gottschalk's music is technically treacherous; in many recorded performances that have gone before, pianists have taken a cautious approach that renders the score clear but seems a little underpowered in terms of expression and emotion.
Licad's interpretations here emphasize the expressiveness, nuance, and excitement of this music in a quite unprecedented manner. One review in a major classical music magazine practically condemned this disc, but don't be fooled. You owe it to yourself to pick this one up, especially at Naxos' bargain price.