Ravel: Orchestral Works

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS DO

THE ART OF JEAN-PIERRE RAMPAL

Mozart: Piano Concertos

BEETHOVEN: PIANO SONATAS 8 & 2

CHOPIN: POLONAISES, ETC ALEXA

An astonishing live performance by the 15-year-old Kissin, with a sense of danger courted and triumphantly surmounted.

Kissin's generous lyricism and lovely rubato in Rachmaninov's Lilacs make a distinguished prelude to this recital; but they are only a hint of the revelations to come. The big E flat minor Etude tableau drenches the listener in an extraordinary welter of sound, at once free and controlled, sensitive to harmonic nuance and yet to broader undercurrents as well. And it is followed by a phenomenally articulate C minor, swirling and crackling like a force of nature (with just a couple of accidents on the last page as a brief reminder of human frailty).

The apex of the recital is a colossal account of the Prokofiev Sixth Sonata. Pianistically it has everything—tremendous force, tremendous resonance, wonderful sensitivity to texture and colour, inspired pedalling, fantastic rhythmic grasp, supreme control whatever the extremes of tempo or dynamic. And all these are at the service of a vision which penetrates to the essence of Prokofiev's art—the subdued half-lights and obsessive drive of the first movement, the deadly serious clowning of the second, the stoical suffering of the third, and above all the appalling despair at the heart of the finale. Please don't think I've taken leave of my critical senses—I noted in passing that the rhythm in the last three bars of the first movement is wrong and that Kissin nearly burns himself out before the tumultous last page of the finale. But if this doesn't qualify as a great performance I don't know what does.

So far I've managed to avoid mentioning that Kissin was aged just 15 and seven months at the time of this recital. In his Rachmaninov and Prokofiev it never occurred to me to think about that, either as a plus or a minus. The remaining pieces do perhaps fall into a less exalted category—they are merely astonishing considering his youth. The Liszt studies are seductive, poetic and rhetorical but not yet entirely settled; the Chopin Nocturne could breathe more freely and has a nasty mannerism of right hand before left, a reversal of bad habits of olden days; the Polonaise sacrifices pride and grace for allpurpose grandeur, unimaginatively driving home every first beat in the bar. For all their finesse, I can imagine the Scriabin pieces reaching further out into the unreal and the ecstatic; and the Japanese encores are wholly trivial and forgettable.

Perhaps the biggest drawback of all is the ultraclose microphone placement. But Kissin is one of the select few whose playing can withstand such clinical scrutiny; and such is the electricity he generates, so strong his empathy with Rachrnaninov and Prokofiev, that you feel inside the music both spiritually and acoustically. I suppose it is conceivable Kissin will one day make an even finer studio recording of the Prokofiev; but I would not bank on it re-creating the magic, the sense of danger courted and triumphantly surmounted, of this astonishing live performance.

-- Gramophone [11/1990]

Note: According to the CD packaging, Kissin plays Liszt's Un Sospiro, S 144 no 3 when in fact the piece he performs is Liszt's Waldesrauschen, S 145 no 1.

Haydn: "London" Trios Nos. 1-4 & Duets for 2 Flutes

THE ROYAL EDITION - SCHUMANN:

The young Viennese pianist Stefan Vladar is rapidly building a big international career; and Sony have been quick to sign him up on an exclusive contract. This Mozart recital is the first of a series of solo recordings that will include such colossi of the keyboard repertoire as Brahms's C major Sonata and Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. His programme here has been intelligently chosen to encompass a diversity of forms and styles while retaining a coherent key sequence. The two well-contrasted sonatas (one from 1775, one from the Mannheim group of 1777) frame three shorter works from the last six years of Mozart's life: the urbane Rondo, K485 (in design not a rondo at all, but a monothematic sonata), the profound, highly chromatic Adagio, K540 and the entertaining, if slightly perfunctory, variations on a jejune minuet by Jean-Pierre Duport, cellist at the court of King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia.

I was impressed by much of this recital. Vladar is an elegant, well-schooled player with a refined, even touch; nothing in these performances is ungainly or ill-considered. Yet grace and poise are balanced by an underlying robust vitality in pieces like the first and last movements of K283 (done with nicely pointed rhythms and bold dynamic contrasts), the Duport Variations and the finale of K311, which shows off Vladar's technical address to advantage. This is a thoughtful and stylish debut recital from a young pianist who on this evidence has the potential to become a notable Mozartian. Sony's own high claims for the recorded sound are actually justified here: the piano image is outstandingly clear and lifelike.

-- Gramophone [6/1991]

This selection includes Leonard Bernstein talking about the first movement of Symphony no 5 in English, French, German, and Italian.

These are glamorous, big-city readings, far removed from the granite-faced objectivity proffered by most recorded Sibelians. But it’s all tremendously exciting – and if Bernstein nears emotional saturation more than once, particularly in Symphonies Nos. 1 [and] 2..., the coursing adrenalin in these accounts is irresistible. The New Yorkers are on top form throughout... Despite remastering, some of the fizz and glare that goaded pre-digital CBS LP pressings still survives.

-- Michael Jameson, BBC Music Magazine
reviewing these performances previously reissued as part of Sony 87329

Of these four Mozart [Sony Legendary Interpretations] sets, pride of place must go to the Robert Casadesus recordings of the late piano concertos—Nos. 21-3, 24, 26 and 27 plus the Double Concerto in E flat, in which he is joined by Gaby Casadesus (Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia accompany here). The 1960 recording of the Double Concerto, made in New York's Manhattan Center, is rather dry and doesn't help the music-making to smile, although the playing itself undoubtedly has its insights. The solo concertos were recorded in Severance Hall, Cleveland between 1959 (No. 22) and 1962 (Nos. 26-7) and the venue adds enough ambience to the forward balance to make it convincing. Indeed, the piano integrates well, even if tuttis are on a larger scale than would be expected today. George Szell conducts accompaniments that are very polished and lively. The orchestral credit is shared between members of the Cleveland Orchestra (No. 21), the Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Nos. 22-3 and 26-7) and the 'full' Cleveland (No. 24).

Though the very brisk finale of No. 21 in C is performed with tremendous bravura and sparkle, Casadesus's style is seldom self-consciously extrovert; he lets Mozart speak for himself. The playing in the slow movements is exquisite; colours are delicately shaded, dynamics subtly handled. The same comment applies to the secondary material of first movements, where Szell's authority is also telling. Concerto No. 22 in E fiat is marvellously played and my own favourite, No. 23 in A, captures that special blend of brilliance and underlying nostalgia that is the hallmark of this work. The Corona/ion (No. 26 in D) and the last concerto (No. 27 in B flat) both bring really memorable performances, in fact among the finest in the catalogue. Altogether this set is an essential purchase for any Mozartian who has not already invested in the separate issues.

-- Gramophone [9/1991]

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The ravishing slow movement of K 467 has never sounded more magical than here...this is exquisite Mozart playing, beautifully paced and articulated.

-- Penguin Guide [2003/2004]

AVE MARIS STELLA RUHLAND, NIE

Music for Stage and Screen: The Red Pony, Born on the Fourth