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Bella Schütz : Chiaroscuro Review

Bella Schütz : Chiaroscuro Review

by Steven Miller

Bella-Schütz-Sound-In-Review-CDBella Schütz’s Chiaroscuro is a compelling new Evidence Classics label project focusing on two towering figures in keyboard music history: Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin. The repertoire spans Bach’s Baroque explorations of stylus phantasticus and contrapuntal elegance and Chopin’s Romantic innovations in lyricism and harmonic daring. While these composers are separated by nearly a century, Schütz highlights their shared artistic pursuit of freedom, fantasy, and improvisation, as seen in pieces like Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue and Chopin’s Fantaisie in F Minor.

Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue stands as one of the most dazzling displays of his harmonic mastery, unrivaled by his later works in its showmanship. The Fantasia section bursts with virtuosic flourishes, sudden harmonic shifts, and passages that demand interpretative freedom, evoking the improvisational spirit of the Baroque era. Schütz’s performance captures the work’s dual identity as a technical marvel and an emotional tour de force, bridging the experimentation of stylus phantasticus with an understanding of its structural complexity.

This same harmonic virtuosity is mirrored in Chopin’s music, where he transformed the keyboard into an instrument of deeply personal expression. In works like the Barcarolle and Nocturnes, Schütz brings to life Chopin’s intricate balance of refined ornamentation and sweeping harmonic progressions. Chopin’s mastery lies in his ability to elevate virtuosity into a vessel for poetic expression—a quality rooted in Bach’s innovations yet distinctly Romantic in its sensibilities.

The album underscores a dynamic interplay between melody and harmony, especially in Chopin’s Nocturnes and Barcarolle. Schütz brings to life the nuanced dialogue between the cantabile right hand and the contrapuntal left, evoking the imagery of Venetian gondoliers in the Barcarolle. Her delicate touch and refined phrasing, particularly in the Nocturne in E Major, highlight Chopin’s mastery of harmonic innovation and melodic ornamentation.

In Chopin’s Fantaisie, Schütz taps into the composer’s Romantic ethos, blending structured form with improvisational fluidity. The expansive and daring transitions in this work reflect Chopin’s ability to channel personal expression through virtuosic technique, a quality paralleled in Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue. Schütz’s ability to navigate these emotional and technical shifts connects the Romantic to the Baroque, emphasizing the timeless quality of musical exploration.

The album’s unifying theme, as Schütz suggests, is fantasy—a shared element between Bach and Chopin. Schütz’s approach transcends the historical and stylistic divides, treating each work as a testament to the composers’ ability to explore the boundaries of the keyboard’s potential. Bach’s Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland and Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, transcribed by Busoni, offer a meditative contrast to Chopin’s virtuosic flights, while retaining a common thread of imaginative introspection.

Bella Schütz’s playing exhibits a rare balance of technical brilliance and emotional depth. Her sensitivity to the nuances of both composers’ styles, whether in the architectural complexity of Bach or the lyrical expressiveness of Chopin, reaffirms her place among the next generation of great pianists. The title Chiaroscuro aptly captures the duality of light and shadow, clarity and depth, that permeates this recording.

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Bella Schütz: Website

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Overview
Artist Name

Bella Schütz

Album Title

Chiaroscuro

Release Date

January 24, 2025

Label

Evidence Classics

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Steven Miller
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