The sharp and jaunty rhythms of Shostakovich’s Three Fantastic Dances, Op. 5 set the scene for Kathryn Stott’s latest offering – a piano recital entitled ‘Dance’. The project came about through Stott’s wish to celebrate both her fiftieth birthday and also thirty years of public performances – and what a fine way to honour her work! The collection brings together sixteen very different composers, ranging from Chopin and Brahms to Piazzolla and Villa-Lobos. Some of the works are instantly recognisable (for instance, Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, also frequently heard
as violin pieces) whilst others aren’t quite so easy to place (new to me was Villa-Lobos’s Valsa da dor). There is one premiere recording on the CD – a jazz-influenced Old Style by Graham Fitkin. The composer dedicated the piece to Stott for her birthday and as the sleeve-notes state, this work appears to summarise the other styles around it: “Old Style provides a satisfying summing-up of these various dance idioms”. Each of the works is relatively short – at just six and a half minutes long, Piazzolla’s mysterious and beautiful Milonga del angel is the longest work presented. The Argentinean dance is filled with evocative melodies and rich harmonies, all of which Stott savours. The inclusion of Satie seemed a curious choice, yet Je te veux sits perfectly as a gentle waltz amongst the fierier works. Stott has compiled a passionate disc that I will not be tiring of for quite some time!

Reviewed by Ruth Squire