Schumann: Concerto, Variations, Albumblatter / Katsaris, Madeal, Japan Philharmonic
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SCHUMANN Piano Concerto 1. Albumblätter 2. Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck 3 • Cyprien Katsaris (pn); Cristian Mandeal, cond; Japan PO • PIANO...
SCHUMANN Piano Concerto 1. Albumblätter 2. Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck 3 • Cyprien Katsaris (pn); Cristian Mandeal, cond; Japan PO • PIANO 21 036-A (64:06) Live: 1 Tokyo 10/21/94, 2 Munich, 11/9/80, 3 Liège 9/9/77
About 10 years ago noted pianist Cyprien Katsaris decided to start his own recording label—as so many others have done, to the betterment of the industry—and this release, the second dedicated to the music of Schumann, is the 16th in his archival series. These are some rather rare and unique recordings that I am sure would never have surfaced otherwise, all live recordings done in very serviceable sound—even better than that actually, though the Clara Wieck variations surprised me with their AAD designation, something I have not seen in a while (a 1977 recording).
Katsaris, being the pro that he is, of course has a sizeable repertoire, and a significant one. I suppose the main item here is the Piano Concerto, given at a concert in Japan in 1994. It contains nothing quirky or illuminating, just a down-to-earth reading of beauty and excitement, but nothing not found on the best recordings available, and with sound that is a little blurred in places, the strings especially lacking the requisite clarity in some of the softer passages.
The Variations on a Theme by Clara Wieck, excised from the Concert without Orchestra, which was also essentially a publisher’s decision to offer the Sonata in F Minor, op. 14, sans the two scherzos, is often performed alone as it is here, and is given a very fine rendering. But the best thing on this disc in my opinion is the disparate and character-laden collection of pieces called the Albumblätter , 20 small pieces that Schuman wrote between 1832 and 1845, a sort of compositional grab bag of things that could not find another home. Though there is no associated “theme” in this work, each miniature displays the composer’s mastery of the form, exquisitely nuanced and highly colorful according to the given title. The work deserves wider concert play, and at about 26 minutes is a significant effort despite the patch-quilt origins. Katsaris is quite the stylist here, giving us a performance that to my ears is the equal of any I have heard. I understand the duplication problem if you don’t want to deal with yet another A Minor, but this might be the best Albumblätter currently available—your call.
FANFARE: Steven E. Ritter
Product Description:
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Release Date: September 01, 2010
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UPC: 3760051450441
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Catalog Number: P21 036A
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Label: Piano 21
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Number of Discs: 1
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Composer: Schumann, Wieck
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Orchestra/Ensemble: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
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Performer: Katsaris, Wieck