Charlie Albright's Bright Debut

Read my review published today in the Style section of the Washington Post:

Charles T. Downey, Pianist Charlie Albright shines in Kennedy Center debut
Washington Post, February 16, 2011

C. Albright, Vivace

Charlie Albright would make even a Tiger Mother proud. The 22-year-old American pianist, who is simultaneously studying economics, pre-med and music at Harvard University and the New England Conservatory of Music, gave his Kennedy Center debut on Monday night. The prodigious recital, presented by Young Concert Artists in the Terrace Theater, demonstrated that Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation.

The program opened with Janacek's Piano Sonata, subtitled "1.X.1905," a bold choice that highlighted Albright's ability to produce a soft but still exquisitely phrased tone. An impressive range of differently colored sounds at the keyboard was matched by overwhelming virtuosity. Both were on display in the closing work, the 12 demanding etudes of Chopin's Op. 25. Albright leapt the most outrageous technical hurdles - the whirring parallel thirds of No. 6, the berserk rage of octaves in No. 10 and the wind-swept Alpine desert of No. 11 - with a sense of dangerous self-abandon that was thrilling to hear. [Continue reading]

Charlie Albright, piano
Young Concert Artists
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater