I listened to this album and loved The Mephisto Waltz by Franz Liszt. Awesome! Oleksandr Chugay, Concert Pianist, Julliard Graduate and Ukraine 2nd Prize Winner of the Vth Horowitz Competition.

Leonardo's interpretation of all the works in the album "The Classic Romantic", show great versatility yet honorable musicality. The repertoire selected for this album works well as it is certainly full of variety. Excellent playing by the pianist on this CD. Luis Biava, renowened Conductor for his work with Symphony Orchestras around the globe including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Washington Symphony,the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, Temple Symphony Orchestra,the University Orchestra in Bloomington, Indiana and many more. Guest at various Music Festivals in Japan, the Vermont's Mozart Festival and others. Graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, studied also at the Bogota Conservatory in Colombia, and at the Accademia de St. Cecilia in Rome, Italy. Named the 2000 Comcast Newsmaker of the year, has been given the Order of Merit from Italy, a citation from the city of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Orchestra Hartman Kuhn Award and the Medal of San Carlos from the President of the Republic of Colombia.

BEETHOVEN WITH CONTRAST Sonata No 13 in Eb major, Opus 27 No 1 As played by Leonardo Le San (Ionian Productions, 2006). Critique by Peter Merio. Beethoven piano sonatas belong to the standard curriculum of all major conservatories. They are heard in auditions, tests, concerts and competitions. This has brought a disturbing trend to parrot performances that are considered accepted standards of expression.. Pianists are by far not the only ones affected, violinists and singers face a similar problem. The first sonata of Opus 27 is not immune to this trend, although it is heard less often than its companion, that much later acquired the name “Moonlight Sonata.” This performance is not one of these standard renditions. Beethoven was not an “ordinary” musician or person any more than virtually all of the composers on this CD, but neither is Leonardo Le San. Opus 27, No. 1 is a work of contrasts, and our pianist Le San stretches them to the uttermost. In the Baroque music or even typical Vienna Classicism this approach would be out of place but in this case I believe it is the key that unlocks the true nature of the music. These heightened contrasts appear in Leonardo’s playing as large fluctuations in dynamics and tempo. The pianist is able to switch instantly from one mood to another. Furthermore, he is able to maintain two contrasting moods to the point where the accents by the left hand in the “Allegro Molto Vivace” seem to come from a different world, as if played by another person. Leonardo has a strong left hand, possibly aided by the involvement with guitar early in his life and, provided with a decent sound system, a listener is in for truly thunderous bass notes. Contrasts in tempo mean, of course, a slower “Andante” and all of the “Vivace” in a challenging tempo. “Adagio con expressione,” however, is usually played slower, but Leonardo’s choice is a wise one because of the piano’s limited ability to sustain notes. This is still “Young Beethoven “(the composers do not usually age as fast as movie stars) played by a young composer. (At the time of the recording the pianist was within a year of the same age as Beethoven writing this work.) Opus 27 sonatas were written in 1800 or 1801 during a very productive period between the two first symphonies. The shadows of approaching deafness were not yet very deep. Beethoven had decided to learn the Vienna Classical Style thoroughly, but began soon rebelling against the restrictions in form. I believe Opus 27, 1 is the first clear indication of this tendency. The composer titled both sonatas as “quasi una fantasia,” and the form certainly points to it: Fast section inserted to a slow first movement, and the opposite done in the last movement. Furthermore, although the tonic-dominant polarity is still important, it does not become the defining dramatic element. Rather, the identity of and development of motives gain focus, and Leonardo understands and emphasizes this trend. Opus 27 is a sign of things to come, for Beethoven and for music in general through, and I would claim even more, past the Romantic Era. As Stravinsky said it, "Beethoven is eternally contemporary".. Thus he is not the least bit out of place with the rest of the composers on this CD. The extremes of tempo tend to test limits of playability. I sense moments of impatience in the Rondo, which cause me to hold my breath a couple of times. But Leonardo lands unto his feet unto the calm of the “Adagio.” After all, the last movement is by nature very impetuous. Performing music has a reckless element and those who wish to play it safe may find success elusive. Leonardo Le San has the instinct of a practical musician familiar with many kinds of musical expressions to understand intuitively how music actually works. Being a composer helps, but composers do not always share this understanding. It is this intuition rather than mathematical and metronomic precision that will bring the listeners back to hear more. Peter Merio is a graduate of the Sibelius Academy of Music in Choral and Orchestral Conducting.. He has a Master’s degree from the University of Helsinki with a dual major in Political Science and Musicology. Merio has worked as conductor and organist in Finland Europe and United States.

How thrilling it is to hear a fresh and original interpretaion of these classics! The Beethoven Sonata was powerfully rendered--passionate, yet with the distinct classical style that early Beethoven requires. The Scriabin pieces were my favorites. I even heard a little jazz in them--and the mystic chords were beautifully rendered. The Russian romanticism of the Prokofiev was powerfully interpreted, and yet I especially enjoy Le San's sharing of his (and Prokofiev's as well) sense of humor in some passages. The Liszt was spectaculor! Yet the technical intricacy was always subordinate to the musicality. I liked that!! I look forward to hearing more from this talented young artist. --Jerry Foote, Masters in Music with majors in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX