An enjoyable recital

"There’s more Debussy on ‘Shapes of Water’, another water-inspired recital subtitled ‘piano music by Debussy and Beyond’. The pianist is Carmen Stefanescu and perhaps the finest thing here is the last item: an exultant account of L’isle joyeuse in which Stefanescu never forces the piano sound but allows it to emerge with seemingly effortless splendour. As well as several shorter Debussy pieces (three Préludes, two Images and so on) and Fauré’s First Barcarolle, the rest of the programme includes intriguing surprises and rarities such as Zemlinsky’s Der Wassermann, Mompou’s El lago, Beach’s By the Still Waters and Mel Bonis’s Il pleut, along with more recent music by Andreas J Winkler and Alexander Rosenblatt. One of the most vigorous pieces is Bloch’s ‘At Sea’, the third of his Poems of the Sea from 1922, here given a performance of impressive commitment. All told, a well-planned and enjoyable recital, with an outstanding L’isle joyeuse, all recorded in excellent sound"

International Piano, 22.05.2026, Nigel Simeone