Michael Mizrahi - The Bright Motion | Classical review

The Bright Motion opens with a question by way of a three-note bass ascension and an arcing soprano motive in rhythmic unison. From there, composer Patrick Burke’s “Unravel” does just that, as Mizrahi deftly tangles the statement in chromatic knots before loosening it back into its pure form.

William Brittelle’s “Computer Wave” offers a glimpse at Mizrahi’s expert hand choreography as he briskly leaps registers like Q*bert. Judd Greenstein’s Chopin-inspired “First Ballade” has an air of old Hollywood, while Mark Dancigers’s titular two-movement work conjures images of French animation. Tiny bursts illuminating the first movement give way to a more fervent second movement. Mizrahi’s pacing of the gradual build never loses its grasp on the listener, patiently cresting the aural wave.

Mizrahi is at his most tender and velvet-fingered in John Mayrose’s “Faux Patterns,” which is mix-tape–ready for lovers. Cycling Fs and G-flats almost seem to whisper, “You, me. Me, you.” It is an album packed with effervescent solo-piano selections and adroit performances.