African Pianism, Vol. 2 in Bloomington, MN

Having experienced success with her first
African Pianism
album in 2022, pianist
Rebeca Omordia
, of Nigerian-Romanian background, returned with this
second volume
in 2024. The mix of music is similar to what was heard this first time around; the selections here are a bit heavier on music that is not from sub-Saharan Africa, and there is one African American work, the
Fantasie Nègre in E minor
of
Florence Price
. That one may seem to not fit the agenda, but one can understand why
Omordia
wanted to include it; based on the spiritual
Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
, the work puts the melody through a variety of 19th century paces with which
Dvo¿ák
would have been pleased. True fusion of this kind is the idea in most of
's selections; both in the music of the sub-Saharan Africans and in the works of composers from the Arab world, materials from the composers' cultures are generally treated in some kind of unexpected way. Especially interesting examples are the five
Miniatures Algériennes
Salim Dada
, heavily flavored by but also in tension with Arabic melodic patterns. As on the first
album, there is one work by a white South African composer, in this case,
Grant McLachlan
; this one, an arrangement of a traditional song that became an anti-apartheid anthem, is of exceptional interest. The Nigerian composer
Akin Euba
(1935-2020), who coined the term "African Pianism," is represented on both albums; this time,
includes three pieces entitled
Study in African Pianism
. Beautifully recorded by the
Somm
label at the Menuhin Hall in Stoke Abernon, this release, along with its companion, will introduce listeners to new and fascinating repertories. ~ James Manheim