The White Rose of Love

A charming and witty exploration of classical and modern popular music for the piano, Beth Michaels shines forth with fascinating presence in her third release, eloquently entitled The White Rose of Love. It is here, in this compilation, that Michaels reaches deeper into her musical spirit and branches out into a whole new level of musicianship. Her romantic and genuine touch on the keys melts the heart in the opening track, Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Memory." Michaels uses the keyboards and a piano (given as a gift to play with by a friend) to search for new tones and textures in her art. She finds that astonishing lucid quality and sheer resonance with stunning ease, as reflected on most all of the album's tracks. An articulate rendition of Herman Hupfield's "As Time Goes By" is played in a variety of ranges. The haunting "West Side Story" suite is done with a majestic quality rarely matched by most modern pianists, much less instrumentalists. It is here Michaels calls all the shots, playing with great fervor and passion, paying close attention to the melody as to not stray away from it's most potent qualities. However, she never fails to use the entire range of the piano keys to her advantage to fabricate in the end a sparkling arrangement. With the elements of Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story" still very much intact, Michaels blends in witty arrangements of "Tonight," "Somewhere," "I Feel Pretty," and "Maria" in an engaging and imaginative fashion. A highlight of the record would have to be another poignant Michaels original, this one entitled "Morning." With a use of all-encompassing scales and delicately played chords, the melody brings forth a positive message of hope and happiness for those entering into a new day, and more so for those entering into a new life filled with dreams and promises. More popular modern tunes such as Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" and Howard Ashman's "Beauty and the Beast" are done with a refined elegance. The artist sets the listeners into a spin with the relaxing and soul-searching "The Rose," a magnificent rendition originally written by Amanda McBroom. The enriching, appealing Oscar Hammerstein hit "Edelweiss" is another worth mentioning, a classic standard played with simplistic ease as to not damage the meaning of its dynamic structure, so desired by Michaels. Perhaps the last tune, filled with music of utmost complexity and breathtaking dynamic power, "The Impossible Dream," is the most awe-inspiring piece of this collection, a rare breed of performances from a musician both unique and rare in talent and form.