From the contrapuntal rigours of Bach, to the coruscating soul-searching of Rachmaninov, to the perfumed velleities of Chopin, Vladimir Feltsman seems to be sovereign over every idiom he plays and records. Of modern pianists vying for the meaningless title of World No. 1, Feltsman must be up there with the likes of Sokolov, Volodos, Kissin, Pollini, Zimerman, Perahia, and, so as not to be sexist, Pires and Argerich. Every piano maven from here to Carnegie Hall will want to dispute, correct and modify that fairly random and doubtless incomplete roll of honour, but I hope that I may at least be allowed to observe that Feltsman is now surely in his mature prime, having a string of critically lauded recordings for Nimbus to his credit and performing to acclaim worldwide.
 
Coming to this recital having already very positively reviewed his “Tribute to Rachmaninov” and Bach English Suites for Nimbus, I was predisposed to like what I heard and was immediately struck by the ease and naturalness of his treatment of the celebrated E-flat major waltz which opens this recording. My enjoyment of the playing, already intrinsically great owing to the quality of Feltsman’s pianism, was greatly enhanced by reading the highly intelligent, informative and stimulating essay provided in the booklet by the pianist himself.
 
As with previous Nimbus issues, the sound is simply lovely: bright yet warm, as utterly beguiling as Feltsman’s playing. His command of rubato and rallentando is subtle and deeply satisfying, never “applied” but always cognisant of the need for a degree of Schwung to recall the origins of the music in dance. This elasticity, grounded in the dominant figure of one long and two short notes, is key to our enjoyment of these most cheerful of Chopin’s generally melancholy output. His choices of tempi are generally as airy as his playing yet there is no sense of hurry, just an insouciant propulsiveness.
 
I have remarked while listening to his Bach at the fleetness and lightness of touch Feltsman can command; he is the most deft of practitioners yet the left hand is always weighty and sonorous when required. In my experience only Vasary and perhaps Freire are as ethereal yet soulful; I listened to the whole disc straight through with unalloyed delight.
 
The four Impromptus forming the coda to the sequence are delicate and rhapsodic by turns. They are evidently a little more serious and quizzical in tone, posing some questions more searching than the generally reassuring waltzes.
 
This goes straight to the top of my list of favourite Chopin CDs; I begin to wonder if there is any mode or composer in which this magnificent artist cannot excel.



-- Ralph Moore, MusicWeb International

Classical Music

CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 in F?; Barcarolle; Impromptus: in A?, Op. 29; in F? , Op. 36; Tarantella in A? • Danil Trifonov (pn); Wojciech Rajski, cond; Polish CO Sopot • DUX 0832 (63:30)


It’s too bad that this disc, filled with brilliant, energized, and subtle piano playing should start almost anemically with an impassive statement from the chamber orchestra on the Chopin Piano Concerto. Of course this is a string orchestra, a defensible choice, but I still think the opening should be more emphatic. We see what we were missing the second Danil Trifonov enters, for he is a dynamic pianist, and yet one who plays the delicate pages of this concerto exquisitely without ever losing its forward thrust. There are few recordings of the Romance as beautiful as Trifonov’s, and few of the final Rondo as delightfully playful. The solo works are just as distinguished, including the quicksilver rendition of the Impromptu in A?. Trifonov has all the technique, and all the temperament that he needs, and yet everywhere he seems to be delighting in the music and not in what he can do with it. Some listeners might come to this disc for the novelty of hearing the concerto played by a string orchestra. They should be delighted with the pianist.


FANFARE: Michael Ullman

Also available on Blu-ray

Recorded live at the Filharmonia Narodowa, Warsaw, 26-27 February 2010.

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 97 mins
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)

R E V I E W:



CHOPIN Piano Concertos: No. 1 in e 1; No. 2 in f. 2 Mazurka in a, op. 17/4. 1 Etude in c, op. 10/12. 2 Waltz in e, op. posth. 2 • 1 Nikolai Demidenko, 2 Evgeny Kissin (pn); Antoni Wit, cond; Warsaw PO • ACCENTUS 20104 (DVD: 96:54) Live: Warsaw 2/27/2010

I would hate to have been a music critic for a newspaper sitting in the audience at this concert. Newspaper reviewers are allowed only one chance to hear the music and then get their story straight. I’ve watched this video four times, and just am beginning to appreciate what went on at the concert. In sum, it is a tale of two pianists, Nikolai Demidenko and Evgeny Kissin. The former receives a notable reception from the audience, while the latter elicits a roaring standing ovation and rhythmic applause. The two even are a contrast in their appearance: Demidenko with his grey beard and bald spot, the leonine Kissin every inch the romantic idol. Yet, on repeated listening, I find myself drawn at least as much to Demidenko’s performance as to Kissin’s. This video is a superb example of how completely differently one can approach Chopin, with equally satisfying results.

The First Concerto opens with refined playing in the orchestral tutti. Antoni Wit and his Warsaw forces only recently recorded both concertos with Eldar Nebolsin. Demidenko begins introspectively, with a lovely sonority. His romantic hero, as portrayed in the music, is a poet rather than an adventurer. The third subject is full of yearning and pathos. Elegance and passion characterize the subsequent filigree work. The return of the first theme sounds ruminative. When the second subject comes back, it is wistful and tentative. Throughout this movement, the Warsaw first chairs play beautifully, particularly the flute, bassoon, and horn.

Demidenko opens the second movement with a gorgeous, singing bel canto line. It is a love song with plenty of heart. Unlike in the first movement, the piano part now has a slightly naive quality. The solo bassoon plays wonderfully. Here and in the finale, Demidenko handles transitions magically. He performs the last movement very much in the style galant . His playing now is rhythmically subtle; he doesn’t attempt to be a powerhouse. The B section sounds like a mazurka. Demidenko’s left hand produces deftly judged harmonies. His soft playing is superbly virtuosic. As an encore, Demidenko plays a mazurka raptly and ravishingly, almost as a commentary on all that has gone before it.

Kissin first came to prominence in a concert of both Chopin concertos at age 12, conducted by Dmitri Kitaenko. At present, he plays the Second Concerto in the grand manner. His fingers are fascinating to watch, reminding me of tentacles. Kissin treats the first movement rhapsodically, rather freely in tempo. His soft passages are especially luminous. The program annotator for the DVD suggests that Kissin’s tactile connection to the keyboard is almost erotic. I prefer to say that Kissin’s performance possesses an animal quality. In the second movement, Kissin produces lush sonorities with almost heartbreaking phrasing. His playing in the string tremolo section seems tragic, evoking the pain of the lover. Following this outburst, the return of the initial theme sounds subdued. Kissin’s finale is a romp, with plenty of fire. Differences in dynamics are finely judged. The audience erupts on the orchestra’s final chord. For his first encore, Kissin gives us a stunning version of the last of the op. 10 etudes, with an almost supernatural left hand. It perhaps exemplifies the two pianists here that this encore is so virtuosic, while Demidenko’s is reflective. Kissin’s next encore is a somewhat Mendelssohnian treatment of a waltz, like fairy music. Kissin shows an endearingly light touch here.

The sound engineering on the DVD is very good, clear and full if a little monochromatic. Surround sound was unavailable to me. Occasionally the picture is out of sync with the music for a second or two. The director of the video does a satisfying job; nothing essential is overlooked in the camerawork. If you are looking for a CD of both concertos, I would recommend those by Annerose Schmidt, Janne Mertanen, and Janina Fialkowska. For an opportunity to experience two marvelous players in concert, this DVD probably will have great staying power. It is a true privilege to witness Demidenko and Kissin’s artistry up close.

FANFARE: Dave Saemann

Combining elegance and virtuosity, pianist Russell Sherman returns to Avie with a traversal of Chopin’s Mazurkas, a popular 19th-century genre among Polish composers, but one that Chopin made his own. He wrote mazurkas throughout his lifetime, from his early days in his native Warsaw until 1849, the year of his death in Paris. He brought numerous innovations to the dance form, evolving its humble folk origins to more contemporary art music. Russell, who has performed the world over on the most illustrious stages and with all of the major orchestras, brings his signature grace, imagination, and poetry to Chopin’s beloved oeuvre. -----

REVIEW:

Awe-inspiring: in some of the most difficult works in the piano repertoire, he exhibits the kind of impeccable perfection that is the hallmark of players like Pollini and Michelangeli.

- All Music Guide

CHOPIN Piano Sonata No. 3. Preludes Nos. 1–24 • Nick van Bloss (pn) • NIMBUS 6215 (70:21)

Nick van Bloss is an excellent Chopin pianist. The first thing you recognize about his Chopin playing is his sound. He has a big, rounded tone, with an especially prominent left hand. His Chopin therefore is darker sounding than most other pianists’. The overall mood is saturated in deep passion without ever being precious, and the colorings derive from a particularly rich palette. Vladimir Horowitz said of Chopin, “He never weighed more than 90-odd pounds. Imagine!...But on paper he was never 90-odd pounds.” In a nutshell, this gives us the scope of emotion Nick van Bloss exploits in Chopin. His sense of structure is very much his own. Van Bloss is comfortable with making adjustments to his tempo within a harmonic framework that he never disturbs. He provides drama, reverie, and passion without sacrificing the architecture of the music. This is true in both the longest sonata movement and the briefest prelude. Van Bloss gave up the concert stage for 15 years, but he appears to have the capacity to think deeply about music without ever touching the keyboard. As a result, there never is the sense of routine in his performances that sometimes creeps into the renditions of more prolific Chopinists. Van Bloss is a literary man, too, having published an acclaimed autobiography. It is not too fanciful to suggest than Chopin gives him an outlet for his literary bent, finding story lines and lyric poetry throughout this recital. I think van Bloss’s Chopin will wear very well. It is the product of an insightful and penetrating mind and a refined keyboard artist.


In the Third Sonata, the opening movement has an unhurried nobility, both in tempo and texture. The exposition repeat adds to this effect. The second subject appears simple, but is rendered with great art. Unlike some pianists, van Bloss does not play the last three movements without a break. The Scherzo’s second subject possesses an unusual restlessness. The Largo has striking effects of light and shadow. Van Bloss pedals its second subject to create a rich and beautiful legato. He presents the Finale with splendid rhythmic subtlety. This is a valuable Third Sonata, and the Preludes are no less intriguing. No. 2 is a kind of Dies Irae , while No. 3 is a Spring song. A restrained passion characterizes No. 4. No. 6 is like an Egyptian statue in its inscrutability. No. 8 is a virtuoso tour de force . A limpid and summertime atmosphere pervades No. 13. No. 15, the “Raindrop,” constitutes a meditation on life’s fragility. No. 17 is a bold Romantic statement. Van Bloss makes No. 21 into a beautifully shaped exercise in harmonic daring. No. 23 is wistful, with a kind of Vince Guaraldi resonance. The last Prelude in van Bloss’s hands becomes a study in dark colors. His Preludes may not be the most varied statement of these works, but they are emotionally rich and technically unimpeachable.


The sound engineering is very fine, just slightly metallic. It is good to hear the patina of Nimbus’s Wyastone Leys studio, where so many fine piano recordings have been made. My favorite versions of the Sonata are by Cécile Ousset and Van Cliburn. I prefer Daniel Barenboim and Lincoln Mayorga in the Preludes. I think any Chopin collector would be happy to add Nick van Bloss’s renditions to his or her library. This is very classy Chopin playing, with the emotional and technical elements blended into a well-considered whole.

FANFARE: Dave Saemann

Includes nocturne(s) for piano by Frédéric Chopin. Soloist: Jean Alexis Smith.

The Profil label's Frederic Chopin: Simply the Best is a 6 CD overview of some of the finest works in the great Polish/French composer's curve, from his works for piano solo, including all 4 Scherzi, the 3 Sonatas and the Etudes, to both piano concerti, as well as lieder (Disc Six). The featured performers include the late, great Chopin master, pianist Artur Rubinstein, veteran Italian pianist and noted Chopin interpreter Maurizio Pollini, and younger performers Eugene Mursky (b. 1975, Uzbekistan), pianist and British baritone Konrad Jarnot (b. 1972).

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

Ingrid Fliter seems to be able to achieve individuality seemingly effortlessly, with cherishable and memorable results. She is a virtuoso of the first order but she holds this in reserve, so when she does unleash her full technical armory, it’s extraordinarily potent. A gem of a disc.

– Gramophone

Chandos presents Volume 2 in its series of solo piano works by Chopin, played by the French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie. Recording exclusively for Chandos, Lortie is recognized as one of the finest interpreters of Chopin today. He first recorded Chopin's Etudes for Chandos more than twenty years ago; the disc was named as one of the '50 great performances by superlative pianists' by BBC Music.

Volume 1 of his current Chopin series also has received excellent reviews: the magazine Pianist wrote, “He is a pianist of our time when it comes to speed, energy and an unfussy approach to Chopin. His way of playing is like a sharply cut steel sculpture, super elegant and with not one single smudge.” And in the words of International Piano: “These are full-blooded and eloquent performances, an auspicious start to what looks likely to become one of the finest of Chopin surveys.”

This set contains both ADD and DDD recordings.

PIANO MUSIC
Freddy Kempf, Alfredo Perl, Angela Hewitt

More than two hours of beautiful music for solo piano by one of the instrument's best-loved composers, played by Freddy Kempf, Alfredo Perl and Angela Hewitt.

Atmospherically filmed, in evocative settings in France (Château de Neuville, Gambais) and the UK (Hopetoun House, Edinburgh), and reproduced in top quality sound and vision, these new 2003 recordings include the complete Opus 28 Préludes, the Op 10 and Op 25 Etudes and the Sonata in B flat Minor, Op 35.

Running time: 135 mins
Region Code: All regions
Picture format: 16:9 Anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM Stereo, DTS Surround
Menu languages: English

Taken from the extremely successful BBC series, broadcast on BBC 2.
Over 2 hours of music / New recordings in high quality sound and vision

Now in his mid-fifties, Christian Zacharias has successfully recorded much of the central repertoire, German and Austrian. His Mozart and Beethoven have been especially well received. Nonetheless, before listening to this disc, I have not heard him playing, or heard of him playing, Chopin. Perhaps I have missed something. Certainly he can play Chopin beautifully, for this is a very attractive recording, notable for the warmth and naturalness of its sound, for Zacharias’s unaffected phrasing and sweet tone, and for the subtlety of his interactions with the chamber orchestra he leads. Zacharias never overacts. I have heard (though rarely) the great Larghetto of the First Concerto played in a more heart-wrenching style, but Zacharias has a way of making the whole cohere convincingly that seems just as effective. His is a sunny, patrician style. He’s careful with detail and yet seems to dance along with his orchestra in the Rondo, for instance, of the First Concerto. He can be grand, as in his entrance to the first movement of the Second Concerto, but even here he plays with a kind of noble restraint that fits these works. He must be an excellent conductor as well: the strings seem to breathe with him.

Michael Ullman, FANFARE

CHOPIN Piano Concertos: Nos. 1; 1 2 2 • Shura Cherkassky (pn); 1 Christopher Adey, cond; 2 Richard Hickox, cond; 1 BBC Scottish SO. 2 BBC SO • ICA CLASSICS 5085 (75:22) Live: Glasgow 1 12/3/1981; 2 London 8/30/1983


Shura Cherkassky, according to the liner notes, was sometimes a difficult man to accompany, as he would often change his mind on phrasing or tempos between the final rehearsal and the concert; thus, annotator Robert Orledge says, “some conductors were reluctant to appear with him,” citing as an example the sudden rush with which he plays the final section of the Second Concerto. I can see where this would be a problem. I recall a live performance I attended by a famous American pianist where, suddenly, the keyboardist rushed forward and left the orchestra behind, and I learned later that he did not rehearse the work that way. The difference, if I may say so, is that Cherkassky usually had good taste while the American pianist I heard usually played with poor style regardless of his tempo choices.


Well, as Cherkassky once said to me, “Some people like my playing and some don’t, but at least no one can say that I’m boring.” True enough. Yet I was beginning to doubt that this would be that fine a disc as the First Concerto started up. Conductor Adey plays it very slowly, with lots of romantic gush and goo, and moreover the first minute or so suffers from what is probably a crumply original tape. I was not expecting much. But then Cherkassky entered, and his bracing interpretation of the opening phrases acted like a wake-up call for the orchestra. (Having heard Cherkassky three times in person, twice with an orchestra and once in recital, and also being familiar with many of his recordings, I just don’t see that he would have wanted this concerto played so slowly to begin with. It just wasn’t in his nature, thus I believe that he bristled at Adey’s tempos in both the rehearsal and performance.) From this point on—thankfully—it is the pianist who leads the orchestra, forcing Adey to pick up his tempo or be left behind. One is immediately caught up in the excitement, which despite a sensitively shaped second movement continues on through to the end.


With the Second Concerto, we enter an entirely different world. Richard Hickox was one of the great, underrated conductors of his generation, a man who viewed music as dramatic expression and molded his performances that way. From the very first note, Hickox is on edge, and I mean that almost literally…he makes Chopin’s orchestration sound almost like Beethoven or Schumann, full of drama and bringing out all sorts of inner voices with tremendous clarity. The switch from Adey to Hickox is almost as dramatic as if one suddenly shifted from John Barbirolli to Igor Markevitch, but Cherkassky is entirely in his element. There’s a particularly delicious passage in the second movement when the piano’s descending chromatics clash on one note with the orchestra’s chord—exactly as written, but a detail that normally escapes one’s attention in most performances of the concerto. And Cherkassky’s last-movement cadenza is incendiary, as advertised. It’s a heck of a performance that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Cherkassky’s changes to the text of the score are certainly evident but, like Glenn Gould, they generally enliven and enhance the music. Of course, that would probably keep this disc from being your first choice for recordings of the two concertos, but as a second recording it is definitely recommended.


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley