When Do We Dance?—Lise de la Salle, piano (Naïve 5468)
“I’ve been surrounded by dance since childhood, and I adore it,” says Lise de la Salle. “But with so many dances and so much music to play, I could take ten albums to tell this whole story. So, I decided to focus on one century, but travel the world.” As we cautiously enter what we hope to be the post-COVID era, the WCLV Recording of the Week invites listeners on a journey across continents and through the years from 1850-1950, traversing America, Argentina, Spain, France, Hungary and Russia to “explore the different ways in which dance takes possession of the body.” The pianist calls the century of her focus “the most fascinating period in the history of all the arts,” alive with “new rules and techniques, and an explosion of potential.” Lise de la Salle’s program takes us through a dizzying array of cultures and musical styles. A song by Gershwin (one that gives the disc its title), Art Tatum’s take on Tea for Two and William Bolcom’s Graceful Ghost lead us off. There are national dances by Ginastera and Bartók, Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance and waltzes by Saint-Saëns, Ravel and Scriabin. An arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s Polka italienne for solo piano caps the recital, but not before we’ve heard tangos by Piazzolla and (of all people) Stravinsky! “Each country, each continent has its own personality and sound,” says De la Salle. “This album is designed to give people energy and want to dance.”