Beethoven and more 2011 podcast #21: Up to speed

Mihaela Ursuleasa plays a dizzying and enchanting toccata by Romanian composer Paul Constantinescu. Paul Constantinescu
Toccata
Mihaela Ursuleasa, piano
Roma and Sinti Philharmonic
Conductor: Riccardo M. Sahiti
MP3 recorded in the Beethoven Hall, Bonn, on September 24, 2011 by West German Radio, Cologne (WDR)

Encore pieces reveal much of the mood of the moment. Such is the case with this one. After Mihaela Ursuleasa's performance of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Roma and Sinti Philharmonic, the audience simply wasn't ready to let her go, so the pianist wowed the audience for a second time with her rendition of this toccata by 20th century Romanian composer Paul Constantinescu.

It's a perfect piece to round out an evening or an album, as it does on Ursuleasa's 2009 solo debut titled "Piano & Forte." Constantinescu's composition requires not only dexterous fingers but also the ability to combine speedy, virtuousic playing with much sensitivity.

The classical pianist may have acquired her knack for showmanship from her father, a Romanian gypsy who made a living playing folk music. Conductor Riccardo Sahiti praises her as being among a handful of the best soloists with whom he has worked.

Author: Greg Wiser
Editor: Rick Fulker