Rebeca Omordia: African Pianism Vol 2
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Genre:
Instrumental
Label: Somm Recordings
Magazine Review Date: 08/2024
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 76
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: SOMMCD0688
![SOMMCD0688. Rebeca Omordia: African Pianism Vol 2](https://reviews.azureedge.net/gramophone/media-thumbnails/SOMMCD0688.jpg)
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Elita, 'Cry of Joy' |
Girma Yifrashewa, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Miniatures Algériennes |
Salim Dada, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Prélude I: Magic Morning |
Nabil Benabdeljalil, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Prélude II: Mirage et lumière |
Nabil Benabdeljalil, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Romance sans paroles |
Nabil Benabdeljalil, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Frisson de la Nuit |
Nabil Benabdeljalil, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Prelude in D-Flat |
Mokale Koapeng, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Senzeni Na? (What Have We Done?) |
Albert Nyathi, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
2 Preludes on Yoruba Sacred Folk Melodies, Movement: No. 1, K’A Mura |
Fela Sowande, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Fantasie Nègre |
Florence Bea(trice) Price, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Wakar Duru |
Akin Euba, Composer
Rebeca Omordia, Piano |
Author: Jed Distler
The second volume of Rebeca Omordia’s ‘African Pianism’ proves as much of a revelation as the first (5/22). The opening selection, Elilta – Cry of Joy by the composer/pianist Girma Yifrashewa, opens in the manner of a prelude that might be heard underneath a sermon at a gospel church service. The gathering momentum of Omordia’s pearly runs and flourishes eventually finds its footing supported by a swinging bass-line ostinato. Salim Dada’s five Miniatures algériennes are wonderfully terse and varied; after hearing Omordia’s perfectly inflected way with ‘Danse Zaydan’, I’d hire the pianist to play in my klezmer ensemble at any price.
Of the four works by Nabil Benabdeljalil, I’m most attracted to the sparseness and subtle harmonic sophistication distinguishing the Two Preludes. Frisson de la nuit is evocative and inventive, if perhaps a tad too long for what it has to say. Still, Omordia’s shapely and nuanced interpretation makes a compelling case for the music. By contrast, Mokale Koapeng’s modestly titled Prelude in D flat is an étude in disguise that veers in delightfully unpredictable directions. Grant McLachlan’s sensitive arrangement of the traditional ‘Senzeni Na?’ and ‘K’A Mura’, the first of Fela Sowande’s Two Preludes on Yoruba Sacred Folk Melodies, offer welcome lyrical respite.
Omordia’s virtuosity fully kicks in throughout Florence Price’s large-scale Fantasie nègre in E minor. Her rich sonority and expansive phrasing unquestionably suit Price’s Romantic idiom, although I slightly prefer the fervent edge of Lara Downes’s faster tempos in her recording (Sono Luminus, 1/17US). However, Omordia articulates the angular rhythms in three selections from Akin Euba’s Studies in African Pianism with impressive ambidextrous aplomb. Robert Matthew-Walker’s superb annotations and Somm’s ideal sound enhance my enthusiastic recommendation. On to Vol 3 and beyond!
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