It’s not surprising that an album that features a Steinway piano as its raison d’être makes sure to mention which particular instrument is being used–none other than a Steinway Model D, a 9-foot concert grand, first-choice of pianists all over the world, often referred to as the “king of pianos”, this one residing at the Concert Hall of the Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, State University of New York. The expertly engineered recording shows off the instrument’s rich tones, ringing out with Steinway’s signature full-bodied, mellifluous sonority. This quality, along with Jeffrey Biegel’s lively playing, makes the opening Sleigh Ride sound particularly robust–so much so that you get the initial impression of two artists at two pianos.
This aural magic carries over to the Nutcracker selections, with the Miniature Overture sounding more martial than the orchestral version (even though the arrangement confines itself to the middle registers). The program features a number of clever amalgamations, most notably Ding Dong Merrily on High melded into Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, and Hark! the Herald Angels Sing brilliantly re-imagined as a Beethoven sonata movement.
The album offers a handful of folk songs and carols from the British, German, and Russian traditions (we get two versions of Silent Night), as well as American popular classics, including the evergreen A Christmas Song. Toward the end of the program Biegel presents two new Christmas songs, both tuneful and well suited to the occasion, before concluding the disc with a look toward the new year in a tender rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
Overall, it’s a marvelous album that will appeal especially to those who prefer to enjoy the music of the season without the glib commercialism that often gets attached to it. Indeed, the intelligence and artistry are such that you can savor it any time of year. Highly recommended. [10/24/2011]