REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Shelest Piano Duo"

South Windsor, CT
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March 22, 2026
by Michael J. Moran

An enthusiastic full house in South Windsor was treated to a captivating debut appearance by acclaimed Ukrainian-born pianists Anna and Dmitri Shelest. First meeting as students at the Kharkiv Special Music School, they later married and began performing together as a piano duo after moving to the US. The imaginative program shed new light on familiar music and introduced unfamiliar repertoire that should be better known.

It opened with an exuberant reading of the Overture to Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide,” arranged by Charlie Harmon, showcasing both the emotional sensitivity and technical precision of this four-hands team playing the same keyboard, Dmitri, the low notes, Anna, the high. This was followed by the deeply felt of Variations on a Shaker Melody from Aaron Copland’s ballet “Appalachian Spring,” flowing without pause into “Carpathian Song,” an original piece written in folk style by contemporary Ukrainian cellist-composer Zoltan Almashi.  

Next came beautifully characterized performances of five Romantic Pieces (1890) for piano duet by once-popular French composer Cecile Chaminade, whose lovely music is now being rediscovered. Introducing their virtuosic rendition of Camille Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre,” Dmitri noted a “special bond” the Shelests feel with Ukrainian-born pianist Vladimir Horowitz, whose sister Regina taught for many years at the Kharkiv School.

Composer Theodore Akimenko was born in Kharkiv in 1876 but lived for many years in Paris, where his music was influenced by French impressionism. His ravishing folk inflected Six Ukrainian Dances for piano duet (1925) received affectionate readings from the duo.

The concert closed with George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue". Dmitri’s opening notes replaced the famous clarinet glissando in the orchestral version with pianistic elegance. Anna’s delicate handiwork in the upper keyboard filled in expressively for the missing strings and woodwinds. The power of their combined sound in climaxes had an almost orchestral sonority.

The charismatic stage presence of both performers was apparent not only in their carefully balanced playing but in the personal engagement with which they alternately introduced each musical selection, highlighting how profoundly both their home (the US) and homeland (Ukraine) have shaped the duo's artistry.  

 SWCA will next present pianist Wynona Wang on April 12 at 4:00 pm.

 

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Anthony Trionfo, Flute; Albert Cano Smit, Piano"

Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT

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October 27, 2024

by Michael J. Moran

When flutist Anthony Trionfo asked his South Windsor audience how many had never attended a flute recital before, quite a few hands went up, including this reviewer’s. By the end of his triumphant debut here with Spanish/Dutch pianist Albert Cano Smith, the charismatic American musician had likely persuaded many concertgoers to attend more of them in the future. 

Trionfo & Smit

These internationally renowned performers opened their program with a passionate reading of Amy Beach’s lush 1893 Romance, Op. 23, for violin and piano in a sparkling arrangement for flute and piano. Trionfo next took the spotlight with a glowing account of Johann Sebastian Bach’s only work for solo flute, his 1723 Partita in A minor, including a graceful “Allemande,” a lively “Corrente,” a rapturous “Sarabande,” and a fleet “Bourree Angloise.”

The duo continued with a performance of Francis Poulenc’s popular 1957 Sonata for Flute and Piano that vividly captured what Trionfo called its “quirkiness” in a brooding “Allegretto malincolico,” a tender “Cantilena: Assez Lent,” and a rollicking “Presto giocoso.” In their bubbly rendition of the Waltz from Benjamin Godard’s 1889 Suite of Three Pieces, Trionfo’s ebullient motions made him look like a pied piper leading this “fun dance” across the stage.     

A reduction for flute and piano of the last three movements from Bach’s 1731 orchestral Suite in B minor featured a touching “Polonaise,” a stately “Menuet,” and an electrifyingly fast “Badinerie.” An arrangement for flute and piano of Bela Bartok’s 1918 piano suite of “Hungarian Peasant Songs” offered sharp contrast, with its shifting folk-dance rhythms. The 1831 “Grand Polonaise” by Theobald Boehm, the inventor of the modern flute, brought this eclectic program to a rousing close.

 

But Trionfo’s astounding virtuosity and his contagious joy in showcasing the flute’s wide range of sonorities, along with Cano Smit’s versatile support, brought them back for an encore: a brilliant rendition of the “Allegro” from Gabriel Faure’s 1898 "Fantaisie" for flute and piano. Personal spoken introductions by both players to the music and its meaning for them further enhanced this memorable afternoon.

 

Concerts in this 43-year-old series by world-class artists take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm, and open seating in its acoustically outstanding auditorium begins at 1:30. SWCA will next present pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner on November 17.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Liana Paniyeva"

Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT

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February 25, 2024

by Michael J. Moran

Liana Paniyeva

After a prior appearance here and two at Sevenars in Worthington, MA, all within the past two years, Ukrainian-born, Boston-based pianist Liana Paniyeva is now a beloved local visitor, as evidenced by the rapturous welcome of a capacity audience at her return engagement in South Windsor.  

Her technically challenging and emotionally demanding program opened with a powerful rendition of Cesar Franck’s rarely heard 1884 “Prelude, Chorale, and Fugue.” Paniyeva’s tense, foreboding Prelude, solemn, probing “Chorale,” and fiercely dramatic “Fugue” captured both the piece’s mystical fervor and its virtuosic thrills.  

This was followed by stirring accounts of Johannes Brahms’ two 1879 Rhapsodies, Op. 79. Paniyeva took a bold approach to the turbulent opening notes of the first rhapsody, in B minor, easing into the lyrical repose of the middle section. She invested the calmer second rhapsody, in G minor, with dark and brooding undertones.

Next came Boris Lyatoshynsky’s much less familiar five Preludes, Op. 44, written in his native Ukraine during World War II. Reflecting influences from later Scriabin to Ukrainian folk music, it was easy to hear echoes of her roots in eastern Ukraine and its current war with Russia in Paniyeva’s poignant readings of the tragic first prelude, the radiant second, the restless third, the melancholy fourth, and the hopeful fifth.   

The program closed with an electrifying version of Frederic Chopin’s 1844 Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58, one of the Polish master’s most difficult yet rewarding scores. Paniyeva heightened the sharp contrasts among its four movements, with a mercurial “Allegro maestoso” leading into a fleet, headlong “Scherzo,” a ravishing “Largo,” in which time almost stood still, and an alternately tumultuous and triumphant “Presto non tanto” finale.

Paniyeva combines a modest stage presence with playing of absolute clarity, technical security, and interpretive maturity, which has made her a prizewinner in many international competitions and augurs a long career of musical substance and distinction.  

All concerts in this 42-year-old series take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm, and open seating in its acoustically first-rate auditorium begins a half-hour earlier. SWCA will next present cellist Michael Katz and pianist Spencer Myer on March 24, 2024.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Xiaohui Yang"

Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT

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November 12, 2023

by Michael J. Moran

The third concert of SWCA’s 41st season featured Chinese pianist Xiaohui Yang – a winner of the 2017 Naumburg International Piano Competition, and a Curtis, Juilliard, and Peabody graduate - in a richly varied program of challenging repertoire, which she introduced with brief, informative, and touchingly personal comments.

She opened with a supple account of Mozart’s 1782 “Twelve Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je maman,” better known to Americans as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It must have delighted her seven-week-old daughter Maya, who she said was her rehearsal audience for this performance.

Next came sensitive readings of two Nocturnes by Faure. Placing the more “sorrowful” No. 7 in C-sharp minor (1898) before the sunnier No. 6 in D-sharp major (1894), Yang faithfully captured the full emotional turmoil of both pieces. To illustrate their “contrast” with the contemporary “Four Pieces for Piano,” Op. 119 (1893) by Brahms, she played these three Intermezzos and closing Rhapsody with a more classical restraint.  

Introducing the “Six Little Piano Pieces,” Op. 19 by Schoenberg, Yang was almost apologetic for the music’s atonal style. But her prediction that it would be surprisingly listenable proved accurate, as her crystalline keyboard touch teased out hints of melody in these sparkling miniatures.

Commissioned by the Naumburg Foundation for Yang’s Carnegie Hall premiere, Israeli American composer Shulamit Ran’s 2019 “Ballade” alternates declamatory with reflective passages. Yang said Ran told her to “have fun and run with it;” her exuberant approach to the work in South Windsor exuded that spirit.    

Crediting her husband for suggesting that she end the concert, as she began it, with a set of variations, she closed the afternoon with an electrifying rendition of Chopin’s 1827 “Variations on La ci darem la mano,” a flirtatious duet in Mozart’s 1787 opera “Don Giovanni.” In this showpiece Yang demonstrated the combination of technical finesse and interpretive depth that suggest a long and brilliant career ahead for this engaging young artist.

All concerts in this free series take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm, and seating on a first-come, first-served basis begins a half-hour prior. Next up SWCA will present violinist Irina Muresanu and pianist Daniel Del Pino on January 21, 2024.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Lysander Piano Trio"

Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT 

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April 30, 2023 

by Michael J. Moran 

This 40-year-old concert series ended its 2022-2023 season with an imaginative program of
mostly unfamiliar music by the New York-based Lysander Piano Trio. Formed in 2010 at the Juilliard School and named after Shakespeare’s young lover in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” its members are: Israel natives Itamar Zorman, violin, and Michael Katz, cello; and Belarus-born pianist Liza Stepanova. 

They opened with a colorful account of Spanish cellist and composer Gaspar Cassado’s 1926 Piano Trio in C Major. Its three movements reflect the vibrant dance tempos of his homeland, and this threesome gave it their all, from a driving “Allegro risoluto” to a sensuous “Tempo moderato e pesante” and a splashy “Rondo” finale. 

Next came a virtuosic reading of Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s 2009 “Two Nguni Dances,” which often evoke the folk traditions of his native South Africa. The complex rhythms of the first dance, “Inyanga,” sometimes required all three instrumentalists to play in different meters simultaneously. But the clarity of their technique made it easy to follow and gave the second dance, “Intsomi,” a marimba-like resonance.    

This was followed by the rarely heard “Piano Trio after The Barber of Seville,” an 1875 transcription by French organist and composer Renaud de Vilbac of themes from Giacchino Rossini’s 1816 comic opera. The Lysanders played this delightful pot-pourri of beloved arias with sparkling energy and wit. 

The only standard repertory piece on the program was its closer, a blazing rendition of Felix Mendelssohn’s 1839 Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, praised at its premiere by no less a fan than composer Robert Schumann as “the master-trio of our time.” Through a fiery “Molto allegro agitato,” a glowing “Andante con moto tranquillo,” a “Scherzo” every bit as “light and brisk” as its tempo marking, and a white-hot “Allegro assai appassionato,” these young artists maintained a remarkably seamless blend and sensitive balance among the contrasting sonorities of their instruments. 

This triumphant season finale was further enhanced by informative and entertaining spoken introductions to the music from all three musicians, the burnished warmth of the theater’s acoustic in this northern Connecticut venue, and the wide international scope of the performers and composers.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Jacqueline Choi"

Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT 

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April 2, 2023 

by Michael J. Moran 

South Korean-born cellist Jacqueline Choi introduced her “very Romantic program,” with Chinese-born pianist Zhenni Li-Cohen, as highlighting the intimate connection between “cello and song,” the instrument’s sonic range closely reflecting that of the human voice. 

Accordingly, their program began with Beethoven’s 1801 set of 7 Variations on “Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen” (“Men Who Feel the Call of Love”),” a duet praising love sung by Princess Pamina and the birdcatcher Papageno in Mozart’s 1791 opera “The Magic Flute.” Choi and Li-Cohen proved equal partners in conveying every mood, from playful to melancholy to exhilarated, in Beethoven’s virtuosic score. 

Next came Choi’s gorgeous arrangements for cello and piano of three songs written for voice and piano by Liszt in the 1840’s: “O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst” (“Love As Long As You Can”); “Enfant, si j’etais roi” (“Child, If I Were King”); and “Oh! Quand je dors” (“Oh! When I Sleep”). Before rendering each selection with exquisite sensitivity, Choi or Li-Cohen read its English text, heightening listeners’ appreciation of their lyrical interpretations. 

 

A stunning account of Debussy’s technically demanding 1915 sonata for cello and piano featured a taut opening “Prologue,” a capricious “Serenade,” and a whirlwind “Finale.” Choi even plucked her cello alternately like a guitar and an upright bass in the jazzy “Serenade.” 

Reminding her audience in his 150th birthday anniversary weekend that Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote all his music “from the heart,” Choi thanked Li-Cohen for her mastery of the “monstrous” piano part in his 1901 sonata for cello and piano, with which they ended the concert in an epic performance. From a lush opening “Lento-Allegro moderato,” an animated “Allegro scherzando,” and a ravishing “Andante” to a joyous closing “Allegro mosso,” Choi’s deep, rich tone was at its most expressive, and Li-Cohen’s pianism, intensely full-bodied.   

The flattering acoustic of the theatre in this northern Connecticut venue enhanced the kinetically engaging stage presence of both women. SWCA, a volunteer-supported organization, has sponsored this free concert series for over 40 years. 

All concerts take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm. The season ends with the Lysander Piano Trio on April 30.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Balourdet String Quartet"

Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT 

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March 19, 2023 

by Michael J. Moran 

Formed in 2018 and named after a “chef extraordinaire” at the Taos School of Music, where they met, the Boston-based Balourdet Quartet – violinists Angela Bae and Justin DeFilippis, violist Benjamin Zannoni, and cellist Russell Houston - explained their South Windsor program as showcasing how they “sing together.” It featured three contrasting works by 19th-century German composers. 

The program began with a sparkling account of Hugo Wolf’s sprightly 1887 “Italian Serenade,” which DeFilippis, in lively, engaging remarks (“He knows how to use a microphone,” one listener enthused), called a “delightful little appetizer” for the two quartets to follow. 

Next came a passionate reading of Felix Mendelssohn’s 1837 Quartet #4 in E Minor, Op. 44/2, written when he was 28 years old, “the median age,” DeFilippis noted, “of Balourdet Quartet members.” From a mercurial opening “Allegro assai appassionato,” a fleet “Scherzo: Allegro di molto,” and a ravishing “Andante,” to a fast and furious “Presto agitato” finale, they captured all the “emotional turbulence of the Romantic era” that DeFilippis had described.   

The concert closed with a powerful performance of Ludvig van Beethoven’s groundbreaking 1825-26 Quartet #13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130, one of the last pieces he wrote before his death in 1827. In six rather than the usual four movements, DeFilippis saw this as a “transformative” work far ahead of its time. 

A fiery “Adagio ma non troppo-Allegro” led into three shorter movements with dance tempos – a whirlwind “Presto,” a pungent “Andante con moto ma non troppo,” and an ingratiating “Alla danza tedesca: Allegro assai” – and a sublime, lyrical “Cavatina: Adagio molto espressivo.” Then it abruptly shifted moods with the challenging “Grosse Fuge” (“Great Fugue”), which DeFilippis heard as ending the quartet (and which the Balourdets played) with “resounding joy.”   

The warm acoustics of the theater in this suburban Connecticut venue amplified the youthful exuberance of this foursome’s seamless musicmaking. It will be interesting to hear how their performance style evolves in coming decades beyond its current astonishing excellence. 

SWCA, a nonprofit, volunteer-supported organization, has sponsored this free concert series for over 40 years. All concerts take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm, and seating on a first-come, first-served basis begins at 1:30 pm. Next up is cellist Jacqueline Choi on April 2.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Einav Yarden"

Evergreen Crossings, South Windsor, CT 

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February 19, 2023 

by Michael J. Moran 

Internationally acclaimed Israeli-born pianist Einav Yarden, now based in Berlin, Germany, brought an innovative program to South Windsor of lesser-known repertoire by composers with familiar last names, including Bach -- Carl Philipp Emanuel (the son) and Johann Sebastian (the father) Brahms. 

C.P.E. Bach, one of four sons of J.S. Bach who became composers, was both more prolific than his father and more popular until at least the mid-19th century. Yarden opened her concert with three short examples of what she described in brief remarks as the “sensitive style” of his music from the 1770s: two playful Rondos (in C minor and G major); and a mercurial Fantasy in E-flat major. The sharp-edged clarity of her playing recalled that of her teacher, legendary pianist Leon Fleischer. 

This was followed by a dramatic reading of the second of J.S. Bach’s six 1714 English suites, with a vigorous Prelude, a graceful Allemande, a stately Courante, a heartfelt Sarabande, a fleet pair of Bourrees, and an explosive “Gigue.” Next came C.P.E. Bach’s 1745 “Arioso with 7 Variations” in F major, which Yarden saw as foreshadowing Mendelssohn (who revived interest in J.S. Bach) almost a century later, and her buoyant performance made a powerful showcase for this imaginative score. 

   

Both the classical rigor of Bach the father and the emotional force of Bach the son were evident in Yarden’s protean rendition of Johannes Brahms’ 1892 set of seven Fantasies, Op. 116, concluding her program in the late Romantic era. She accordingly deepened her touch on the keyboard for a commanding Capriccio in D minor, a solemn Intermezzo in A minor, an intense Capriccio in G minor, a deeply felt Intermezzo in E Major, a glowing Intermezzo in E minor, a delicate second Intermezzo in E major, and a turbulent final Capriccio in D minor. 

Yarden displays enormous technical proficiency, unerring interpretive mastery, and a winning stage presence which clearly engaged her capacity audience. The theater in this suburban Connecticut venue offers warm acoustics and comfortable, accessible seating. 

SWCA, a nonprofit, volunteer-supported organization, has sponsored this free concert series for 40 years. All concerts take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm at 1:30 pm. Next up is the Boston-based Balourdet Quartet on March 19.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, "Liana Paniyeva"

Evergreen Crossings Retirement Community, South Windsor, CT 

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January 29, 2023 

by Michael J. Moran 

Liana Paniyeva

Although Ukrainian-born pianist Liana Paniyeva’s South Windsor program included no music written less than a century ago, her skillful choice of repertoire and the order in which she presented it made each selection sound new and fresh for contemporary audiences. 

Her opening set drew on her Slavic heritage, from a ravishingly warm Prelude, Op. 23/4, by Russian composer/pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, and a tender folk-based “Dreaming,” by early Ukrainian master Mykola Lysenko, to two charming but rhythmically daring etudes and two attractively Scriabinesque “Poemes-Legends” by later Ukrainian composer Victor Kosenko.   

Next came an elegant account of Maurice Ravel’s 1905 “Sonatine,” with a lively opening “Modere,” a graceful “Mouvement de menuet,” and a vivid closing “Anime.” In sharp contrast was a pungent reading of Sergei Prokofiev’s five strikingly avant-garde 1914 “Sarcasms,” featuring a fiery “Tempestoso,” a harsh “Allegro rubata,” a furious “Allegro precipitato,” a turbulent “Smanioso” (“Frenzied”), and a hectic “Precipitosissimo” fading into a quiet “Andantino” close. 

Following the still cutting-edge “Sarcasms,” which could have been written yesterday, Paniyeva’s versatile treatment of Robert Schumann’s five 1839 “Carnival Scenes from Vienna” heightened their novelty, from her forceful opening “Allegro,” melancholy “Romanze,” fleet “Scherzino,” and dramatic “Intermezzo,” to her brilliantly exuberant “Finale.”

A leap forward in time brought a rhapsodic take on George Gershwin’s 1924 standard “The Man I Love,” in a knuckle-busting transcription by pianist Earl Wild, written in the spirit of 19th-century composer-pianist Franz Liszt, whose own arrangements for solo piano of two songs by Franz Schubert brought the concert to a nontraditional close: a lush, reflective 1826 “Serenade,” and a somber, even harrowing 1814 “Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel.”  

Her unassuming stage presence belied the power of Paniyeva’s nimble fingers, which didn’t hit a wrong note throughout this technically challenging program, and the unfailing sensitivity of her interpretations through such widely varied repertoire. The theater in this northern Connecticut venue offers warm acoustics and comfortable, accessible seating. 

SWCA, a nonprofit, volunteer-supported organization, has sponsored this free concert series for 40 years. All concerts take place on Sundays at 2:00 pm, and seating on a first-come, first-served basis begins a half-hour earlier. Next up is Israeli pianist Einav Yarden on February 19.

REVIEW: South Windsor Cultural Arts, Alexi Kenney & Renana Gutman

Wood Memorial Library & Museum, South Windsor, CT

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February 23, 2020

by Michael J. Moran

Alexi Kenney

The opening measures of Mozart’s rare two-movement Sonata, K. 304, told the capacity audience at South Windsor’s historic Wood Memorial Library that they were hearing a major talent in 26-year-old California-born violinist Alexi Kenney, eloquently supported by Israeli-American pianist Renana Gutman, his frequent recital partner since he first met her as a student ten years ago.

In helpfully engaging pre-concert remarks, Kenney had identified “lost love” as the unifying theme of this imaginative program’s five works. The recent death of his mother was palpable in Mozart’s somber opening “Allegro” and restrained “Tempo di minuetto.” The dark, rich tone of each musician’s instrument gave both movements tragic weight and solemn beauty.

The final movement, for violin and piano, “Praise to the Immortality of Jesus,” from Messiaen’s 1941 “Quartet for the End of Time,” written while he was a French prisoner of war in German captivity, next portrayed divine love for humanity, even to the point of death. Kenney and Gutman performed this ethereal music with luminous intensity.

Schubert’s Variations on “Trockne Blumen [Withered Flowers],” the eighteenth song in his cycle “Die Schone Mullerin [The Miller’s Daughter],” followed in an arrangement for violin and piano that Kenney had argued works as well as the original for flute and piano. The duo’s dramatic account of this virtuosic 22-minute showpiece, which traces a forsaken lover’s surrender in death to his beloved’s rejection, made it hard to disagree.

After Kenney’s post-intermission comments introducing the program’s second half, he joined Gutman in an evocative rendering of Stravinsky’s arrangement for violin and piano of a plaintive aria from his opera “The Nightingale” in which the bird restores his beloved master, a Chinese emperor, to life.

Enescu’s 25-minute third sonata, subtitled “in the popular Rumanian style,” depicts the composer’s love for his homeland as remembered forty years after his lost childhood. Kenney and Gutman played its three challenging movements with technical finesse, rhapsodic nostalgia, and deep sensitivity to its mystical rapture.

An encore performance of Clara Schumann’s first Romance, a tender birthday tribute to her composer-husband, Robert, shifted the concert’s focus from lost to found love and brought it to a ravishing close in the mellow Wood acoustics. SWCA, a nonprofit, volunteer-supported organization, has sponsored this free concert series for 39 years.