Recording Review #45: Awesome Awadis

Études Mélodiques. Marie Awadis, pianist and composer. Deutsche Grammophon 486-599-2. 

If I had sat down to write this review after just one hearing of these 12 études, it would look different than the one you're now reading. I would have said something modest about how very nice and well conceived they are, without going much farther. Lucky for you, and still luckier for me, I allowed myself the benefit of a few more hearings. By the end of those this music, and one piece especially, had more fully seeped into my consciousness. I was firmly won over. And so I'm delighted that my title here is "Awesome Awadis" instead of the "Amiable Awadis" header I would've supplied otherwise. 

Of course this all caused me to reflect anew: not only should we actively try out to new repertoire, but we should also give it repeat listens whenever possible. Yeah, it's easy to say that one hearing is enough if the product immediately repulses us. But stuff we think we're lukewarm to at first can sometimes grip us on the second or even third pass. So it proved for me here. 

These twelve Études Mélodiques separately range from about 3 to 6 minutes long. With one possible exception (No. 3, dubbed "Ballade"), each has a short title describing something extra-musical. Examples include "Breathless" (No. 2), "Empty Rooms" (No. 4), "Unspoken Words" (No. 9), and the piece that bowled me over, "La Forêt Oubliée" (No. 6). Stylistically they are obviously influenced by famous examples in the genre going back to Chopin. But Awadis adds her own personal touch. Most of the études are built from chords and progressions that are imaginative without being terribly dissonant. These generate much of the melodic material referenced in the set's title. The structures are free and quasi-minimalistic without being tediously so. None of the pieces wears out its welcome. 

I enjoyed every selection, but "La Forêt Oubliée" is special. I have no idea if it takes its name from some poem, painting, film (I note there's an identically titled Japanese motion picture from 2005), or other specific object. But simply letting the music paint a "Forgotten Forest" in my mind is sufficiently breathtaking. The vivid harmonies and turns of phrase struck emotional resonances I didn't know I had. It is a magical, immersive experience. I'm calling this particular étude one of my prized musical discoveries of 2024, joining Akiro Yashiro's 18th prelude, Daugherty's Harp of Ages, and Mozetich's At the Temple as parts of that group (see my Recording Reviews #18, #34, and #43).  

If up-and-coming composers want a model for how to write music that is at once fulfilling and interesting, they should consider this set. I know I will be singing its praises to anyone who will listen, and advocating for its well-deserved place in the concert hall. 

Verdict: Highly Recommended