Ragtime Music

The piano used for this CD is a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand, and it's pleasing to think of Joplin's music being performed by a Professor of Music on this Austrian Emperor of pianos!
Listen to the low note at the end of Augustan Club Waltz to hear a meaty sound that no other piano can produce.

These are solid, musical, very listenable performances, faithful to the music "as wrote", and really this CD belongs in the collection of anyone interested in Joplin's music.
Sometimes I feel that the left hand is perhaps a little 'light', but perhaps that's just a quibble.

The recording of the Bosendorfer here has a warm, slightly 'forward' sound that is very different from the slightly detached or recessed sound of the (still excellent) 1970s Rifkin recordings on Nonesuch.

I saw Diana DiMarzio as Aldonza in Man of la Mancha recently and was extremely impressed by her! When I heard that she had a cd, I got it ASAP. And I'm still impressed! Her cd has show tunes and classical arias/songs. Her version of There Won't Be Trumpets rivals "Babs'"! If you love this type of music, you'll love her interpretations.

Two arias, Chi il bel Sogno di Doretta and Oh Mio Babbino Caro, performed by Kiri Te Kanawa in the movie Room with a View (my favorite flick!), are on this cd, so it was a special treat to have another version of them!

I also REALLY like Back to Before from the B'way show Ragtime.

Try it, you'll like it...

I'm not sure where/when she's performing next -- post here if you know of any. I read she lives in NYC. Thanks.

This is a incredible c/d. Diana has a incredible voice that is wonderful to listen to. I would love to see her perform on Broadway. I have seen her performances many times at sea. Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I recently picked up Diana DiMarzio's CD after hearing her in concert.
Her beautiful renditions of operatic repertoire such as Puccinis' "Quando Me 'N VO" and "Oh Mo Babbino Carro", soar with clearity, warmth, grace & of course, Passion.
Amazingly, she is equally adept on Broadway...I was enthralled, in particular, by her versions of Sondheim's "There wont be Trumpets", and the heartbreaking "It's never been that easy/ I've been there before".
I highly recommend this CD to fellow music lovers, and especially those who favor Soprano Vocalists.
Well done, Diana!

I only heard parts of this CD on the radio, and I was completely striken by amazing record quality - it wasn't just a great performance, it was acoustical and sound balance masterpiece.
The O'Rileys use of the instrument is groundshaking. I loved the richness of the sounds he extracts from the piano - it's very much outside the box, so massive and powerful, and at the same time fantastically clear at all times - very rare qualify among pianists. The ease and freedom with which he is navigating through clasters and layers of melodies and rythms in Stravinsky's music are remarkable. His Petrouchka rendition can be compared with the oil paintings, where every detail is a part of one big picture, and yet, so carefully individually thought through. Strangely enough, I could also compare his performance with Cirque Du Soleil shows, where there are so many different plots being developed at all times, and no matter which way you look, you can see a real drama in every little secondary character on stage.
Whether you are familiar with Stravinsky's works or not - this is a great CD to add to your collection.

Christopher O'Riley is not only a very accomplished pianist, he is an astute transcriber of orchestral music into works for the piano. Though much of what is heard in this album are transcriptions written by others, O'Riley has embellished and edited his performing pieces through his intimate knowledge of Stravinsky scores. Hearing works normally heard either for huge full orchestra or by chamber ensembles played on the keyboard opens windows of amazing interiors inherent in Stravinsky's output. HISTOIRE DU SOLDAT here becomes a clever and intricate exploration of the jazz elements intrinsic to this score. Likewise in the three movements from PETROUCHKA O'Riley concentrates on the piano solos from the full score and then fills in the accompanying score to make for a very stunning and exciting reexamination of the ballet music. APOLLO is a wondrous work for string orchestra, another setting for ballet, and O'Riley makes it seem as though for the piano composed! Stravinsky was a meticulous composer, so much so that he usually wrote his vast scores in pen and ink - a means not readily altered as easily as simple pencil marks! In this truly remarkable album that approach to the precision of Stravinsky's genius is made even more apparent. Highly recommended.