 Paradise Reborn is the latest release from Linda Shumas and is a wonderfully eclectic mixture of solo piano music pieces from the baroque, classical, romantic and modern eras. Linda is a consummate pianist, and her playing is poetic and expressive, crossing all musical boundaries with ease as she brings out the subtle beauty of every composition, whether it's the classical formality of the First Movement of Haydn's D Major Piano Sonata, the delicate tapestry of Couperin's Les Languers or the broad sweep of Scriabin's Etudes. Above all, Linda's playing is imbued with passion - the Romantically flavoured Rachmaninoff pieces are rich examples of her broad, beautiful phrasing, that brings out the nuances of inner lines while never losing sight of the emotional content of the work.
Also featured on Paradise Reborn are the World Premiere recordings of five Poemes for Solo Piano by composer Nick Peros - these short works range in mood from pensive and joyful to tender and otherwordly - Linda's pianistic skill is clearly evident in the demanding Poeme No. 6, a fiery work that combines melody, intricate passage work and hand-crossing across the whole span of the keyboard. Also premiered on Paradise Reborn are five original compositions by Linda herself - these works also cover a wide range of mood and emotions, and display Linda's pianistic and compositional artistry - Perle Noir is an engagingly evocative soundscape of wide musical breadth, while the beautifully Purge is in fact an etude for left hand only; Linda's work has often been inspired by improvisation and her composition Cerullian Blue pays tribute to the improvisational element in her works. Linda performs regularly across Canada and Paradise Reborn is being serviced to classical radio and press across Canada and the US. Paradise Reborn by pianist/composer Linda Shumas is a refreshingly new classical CD that celebrates the beauty and diversity of the keyboard repertoire.
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Linda Shumas made a mighty entrance to the Toronto scene in 1984, with a solo recital at the Trinity-St. Paul's Centre. In the decades that followed, she concertized and gigged just about anywhere she could find a piano, including every incarnation of the Music Gallery from 1087 Queen West onward Recent duet, trio and chamber ensemble foray's have borne fruit in her awsome musicianship, carrying over into her solo work.
Unlike her 1985 LP "Positive Force" (Later released on compact disc Voices from the Cloisters), Shumas concentrates here mainly on the work of other composers. Rameau, Couperin, Scarlatti and Haydn represent the 17th and 18th Centuries in this collection, and Shumas certainly gives a good account of the music. Rachmaninoff and Scriabin give us her perspective on the early 20th Century idiom, much closer to her own style, but never overwrought.
Shumas' producer Nick Peros contributed five (of his seven) Poemes, and Linda matches whose with five of her own. All the music is excellent, with L'Ocean Reve the standout in creative shaping of beautiful phrases.
Of interest to audio purists, this CD was recorded in a small room on a very large piano, and a non-Steinway at that. Three subtly different perspectives come from three sound engineers, one of them being the legendary Paul Hodge. Tuners are not credited here. The cover picture is by Jan Thorp, whose photos grace each Shumas recording.
Recommended. John S.Gray The WholeNote | 1: Sonata in D Major (First Movement)
2: Prelude Op.32 No.5
3: Prelude Op.23 No.4
4: Poeme No. 1
5: Poeme No. 2
6: Poeme No. 3
7: Poeme No. 6
8: Poeme No. 8
9: Les Languers = Tendre (Sixieme Ordre)
10: Premier Sarabande :: Deuxieme Sarabande
(Premiere Livre de Pieces de Clavecin)
11: Perle Noir (Black Pearl)
12: Purge (Etude for the Left Hand Only)
13: Cerulian Blue (Improvisation)
14: Paradise Reborn
15: L'Ocean Reve (Ocean Dreams)
16: Sonata K87, L33
17: Sonata K380, L23
18: SOnata K55, L335
19: Etude No.6
20: Etude No.12
Track 1 composed by Joseph Haydn
Tracks 2, 3 composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Tracks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 composed by Nick Peros
Track 9 composed by Francois Couperin
Track 10 composed by Jean-Phillippe Rameau
Tracks 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 composed by Linda Shumas
Tracks 16, 17, 18 composed by Domenico Scarlatti
Tracks 19, 20 composed by Alexander Scriabin
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