I really don’t think it possible for me to write a “review” of a concert by this artist.  We have been friends for over three decades and from the beginning to the present she has topped my list of world-class pianists.  So how can I find any sort of objective distance?  I can’t.  But I can assume a critic’s freedom and write an “Impression” or “Tribute” to this stunning artist based on the February 9^th concert.

            A poor man’s definition of “transcendental” is “that which defies description”.  In terms of technique, no better definition exists for Dr. Bottazzi’s technical skill.  In the many, many concerts I have heard her give, difficulty does not exist.  Of course, we all know that thousands of hours of practice and superb trainings lie behind that statement (plus a pretty massive dose of genetic gifts), but where a majority of artists are defined by their “technique” Dr. Bottazzi is defined by it never being an issue.

            “Phrasing”, that curving off at the end of each musical phrase, has become something I long for in a pianist’s playing.  I would like to think, in the many years of hearing Dr. Bottazzi play, that my hearing has become more acute.  It doesn’t take too much to break my heart.  Gently closed phrases at the end of significant sections is enough to get my attention.  The last few concerts I have heard from this artist have left me speechless and heartbroken.  EVERY phrase, whether two-note, three note or sectional is lovingly tended.  This kind of attention to phrasing detail has probably always been in Dr. Bottazzi’s playing but perhaps I have just grown to hear and appreciate it fully.  Perhaps a better description would be a family with one natural child and one adopted child.  A truly caring family will be just as attentive and caring for the adopted child as the natural child.  Dr. Bottazzi cares for her little “phrase children” just as lovingly.

            The sweep and flow of the music, the heartbeat, is often lost because the artist is unable to handle a proper tempo.  That is never an issue with this artist and the delicate balance of contrasting motives never misses the target.  No motive is every repeated the same way.  No motive is ever neglected or swallowed up.

            I hear sound in terms of color.  “Rolling, sonorous tone” and “exceptionally full and beautiful tone” don’t even come close to describing the seeming endless tonal palette of this artist.  So many of the melodies that are usually buried beneath technique come to life at Dr. Bottazzi’s hands by her ability to give a different “color” to these neglected melodies.  They never intrude but they are there, alive and vibrant within the main texture.

            There is a delicacy of “finish” in everything Dr. Bottazzi plays.  No matter how tumultuous the passage work, there are no rough edges.  I have often wondered where this comes from.  This sort of thing cannot be “learned” except on an elementary level.

  To explain a supremely gifted artist is probably a waste of time.  We must hear them and love them for the life and love they have given to their art.

            The concert consisted of two Scarlatti Sonatas, supreme examples of the use of color, sweep and flow and delicacy described above.

            Second on the program was the Beethoven “Appassionata” Sonata, Op. 57.  Here the sweep and flow and effortless handling, of the thousands of notes, were overwhelming.

            The Schumann “Carnaval”, Op. 9 was a delightful escapade through the alternating whimsical and passionate examples of Schumann’s psyche.

            The contemporary work, Kutnowski’s “Lullaby for an Ancient Grandfather” was a lovely work, made even more so by the artist’s loving use of color and phrasing.

            The Chopin section, always a treat at these concerts, was no disappointment.  The E Flat Major Nocturne, Op. 9 No. 2 gets more beautiful with each performance or perhaps I hear more beauty in it every time Dr. Bottazzi plays it; the gently lilting 3^rd Ballade in A Flat Major, Op. 47 brought to mind a lovelier time; the Grand Valse Brilliante in E Flat Major, Op., 18 was just that.  The program concluded with the Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22.   In my opinion there is not pianist alive who captures the joyful lilt of this sparkling music.

            The two encores:  first was the Liadov “Music Box” (always a supreme delight) and the final encore the massive Polonaise in A Flat Major, Op. 53 (bristling with heroism and unusually stunning octaves).

            The audience was joyously demonstrative with numerous standing ovations and bravos sprinkled throughout.