Fiona Maddocks 

Khatia Buniatishvili: Motherland review – a crisp concept album

The sparky young Georgian virtuoso spans Bach and Pärt in an album dedicated to her mother, writes Fiona Maddocks
  
  


The sticker on the CD case reads: "A unique selection of magical piano moments that have shaped Khatia's life". The disc consists of mixed repertoire, 17 tracks in all, dedicated to Buniatishvili's mother who was her first teacher. Yes, this is a concept album. On the whole it's a good one. The sparky and virtuosic Georgian pianist, still in her 20s, has selected works from the two composers with whom she is already associated on disc, Liszt and Chopin. Sweet favourites such as Debussy's Clair de Lune and Ravel's Pavane pur une infante défunte are contrasted with short pieces by Ligeti, Pärt, Scriabin and Scarlatti. Without this musical crispness it might all be cloying. As it is, the disc holds one's attention.

 

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