Reviews
Bogusław Rottermund, Ruch Muzyczny, Feb. 20, 1999
(…)In the second part of the recital, we heard Schumann’s 1st Sonata, whose performance testified to the artist’s familiarity with the difficult form of multi-movement Romantic pieces. The introduction, rendered with a noble moderation, the suggestive interpretation of the contrapuntal lines of the Allegro vivace, the perfect legatissimo of the Aria, the Scherzo, elfenromantisch rather than demoniac, and to conclude, the expansively epical approach to the Finale, all contributed to a successful performance. And yet, the real culmination of the program was Ravel’s “Scarbo” from Gaspard de la nuit, played with a thorough mastery of the very fast tempi and with a breathtaking understanding of the character of the piece, remarkable through the duplicated notes rendered by means of incomplete strokes, which sounded as if the strings had been stimulated rather than merely struck with hammers. Joanna Marcinkowska’s wide range of dynamics and sound color, her artistic maturity supported by a reliable technique, and her understanding of what should be played in what manner, all justify a most optimistic forecast of the pianist’s artistic career.
