Chandos
Louis Lortie plays Chopin Vol. 4: Waltzes & Nocturnes
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Details
- Composer
- CHOPIN, FRYDERYK
- Artist
- Louis Lortie
- Format
- CD
- Label
- Chandos
- Released
- Apr 28, 2015
- Catalog #
- CHAN 10852
- UPC
- 095115185223
About
The fourth volume of what promises to be a complete Chopin piano music survey from Louis Lortie contains five nocturnes and the 19 waltzes. Lortie devises a running order that mixes and matches the works to achieve variety and contrast. For example, the youthful E-flat waltz (the one that Michelangeli often played as an encore) emerges like a ray of sunshine following the wistfully lyrical B minor Op. 69 No. 2, while the short, lightheartedly flashy posthumous A-flat waltz serves as a cameo-like bridge between the grand, multithematic E-flat Op. 18 and A-flat Op. 34 No. 1 waltzes.
In general, Lortie is at his elegant best. He lovingly lingers over phrases in the posthumous A minor waltz as if he’s reluctant to let the bittersweet phrases go. As with the B-flat minor Op. 9 No. 1 nocturne, Lortie’s E minor waltz is supple and small of scale, in contrast to more dynamic, surging interpretations. Lortie’s brisk, liberally-pedaled F minor waltz imparts a floating, almost weightless character to the work. Similarly, the flexible, well-proportioned A minor Op. 34 No. 2 waltz never drags, and the F major Op. 34 No. 3’s “dog chasing its tail” right-hand runs are doled out with remarkable evenness and control.
The A-flat Op. 42 goes swimmingly by any standard, although a wider dynamic scope and bigger climaxes would have elevated the performance from memorable to irresistible. However, Lortie illuminates the B major Op. 32 No. 1 nocturne’s dark undercurrents by way of pronounced yet logical modifications of the basic pulse. His uptempo way with the A-flat Op. 64 No. 3 waltz reminds me a little of Rachmaninov’s similarly paced, poker-faced interpretation.
Of the two Op. 37 nocturnes, I prefer Lortie’s G minor for its introspective simplicity. The G major is quite pretty on the surface (the beautifully pointed chromatically descending notes in the left hand, for example), but Ashkenazy’s greater breadth and more incisive right-hand double notes get more out of the music. One also could imagine additional rhythmic kick to the central mazurka section in Lortie’s sensitively shaded posthumous C-sharp minor nocturne. The smooth and discreetly resonant engineering complements Lortie’s artistry. All told, this release is an enticing, albeit lower-voltage, alternative to recent Chopin waltz cycles from Stephen Hough and Alexandre Tharaud, with a generous 83-minute total playing time.
-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
In general, Lortie is at his elegant best. He lovingly lingers over phrases in the posthumous A minor waltz as if he’s reluctant to let the bittersweet phrases go. As with the B-flat minor Op. 9 No. 1 nocturne, Lortie’s E minor waltz is supple and small of scale, in contrast to more dynamic, surging interpretations. Lortie’s brisk, liberally-pedaled F minor waltz imparts a floating, almost weightless character to the work. Similarly, the flexible, well-proportioned A minor Op. 34 No. 2 waltz never drags, and the F major Op. 34 No. 3’s “dog chasing its tail” right-hand runs are doled out with remarkable evenness and control.
The A-flat Op. 42 goes swimmingly by any standard, although a wider dynamic scope and bigger climaxes would have elevated the performance from memorable to irresistible. However, Lortie illuminates the B major Op. 32 No. 1 nocturne’s dark undercurrents by way of pronounced yet logical modifications of the basic pulse. His uptempo way with the A-flat Op. 64 No. 3 waltz reminds me a little of Rachmaninov’s similarly paced, poker-faced interpretation.
Of the two Op. 37 nocturnes, I prefer Lortie’s G minor for its introspective simplicity. The G major is quite pretty on the surface (the beautifully pointed chromatically descending notes in the left hand, for example), but Ashkenazy’s greater breadth and more incisive right-hand double notes get more out of the music. One also could imagine additional rhythmic kick to the central mazurka section in Lortie’s sensitively shaded posthumous C-sharp minor nocturne. The smooth and discreetly resonant engineering complements Lortie’s artistry. All told, this release is an enticing, albeit lower-voltage, alternative to recent Chopin waltz cycles from Stephen Hough and Alexandre Tharaud, with a generous 83-minute total playing time.
-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com
Tracklist 24 tracks
-
1 Waltz No. 19 in A Minor, Op. posth. 02:28
- Track
- 1
- Title
- Waltz No. 19 in A Minor, Op. posth.
- Duration
- 02:28
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
2 Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op. posth. 02:41
- Track
- 2
- Title
- Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op. posth.
- Duration
- 02:41
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
3 Waltz No. 15 in E Major, Op. posth. 01:50
- Track
- 3
- Title
- Waltz No. 15 in E Major, Op. posth.
- Duration
- 01:50
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
4 Waltz No. 10 in B Minor, Op. 69, No. 2 02:56
- Track
- 4
- Title
- Waltz No. 10 in B Minor, Op. 69, No. 2
- Duration
- 02:56
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
5 Waltz No. 17 in E-Flat Major, Op. posth. 02:13
- Track
- 5
- Title
- Waltz No. 17 in E-Flat Major, Op. posth.
- Duration
- 02:13
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
6 Waltz No. 11 in G-Flat Major, Op. 70, No. 1 02:04
- Track
- 6
- Title
- Waltz No. 11 in G-Flat Major, Op. 70, No. 1
- Duration
- 02:04
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
7 Waltz No. 12 in F Minor, Op. 70, No. 2 02:34
- Track
- 7
- Title
- Waltz No. 12 in F Minor, Op. 70, No. 2
- Duration
- 02:34
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
8 Waltz No. 13 in D-Flat Major, Op. 70, No. 3 02:31
- Track
- 8
- Title
- Waltz No. 13 in D-Flat Major, Op. 70, No. 3
- Duration
- 02:31
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
9 Waltz No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. posth., "Sostenuto" 01:50
- Track
- 9
- Title
- Waltz No. 18 in E-Flat Major, Op. posth., "Sostenuto"
- Duration
- 01:50
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
10 Waltz No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, "Grande valse brillante" 04:57
- Track
- 10
- Title
- Waltz No. 1 in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, "Grande valse brillante"
- Duration
- 04:57
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
11 Waltz No. 16 in A-Flat Major, Op. posth. 01:36
- Track
- 11
- Title
- Waltz No. 16 in A-Flat Major, Op. posth.
- Duration
- 01:36
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
12 Waltz No. 2 in A-Flat Major, Op. 34, No. 1, "Valse brillante" 05:01
- Track
- 12
- Title
- Waltz No. 2 in A-Flat Major, Op. 34, No. 1, "Valse brillante"
- Duration
- 05:01
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
13 Waltz No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 34, No. 2, "Valse brillante" 05:16
- Track
- 13
- Title
- Waltz No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 34, No. 2, "Valse brillante"
- Duration
- 05:16
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
14 Waltz No. 4 in F Major, Op. 34, No. 3, "Valse brillante" 02:08
- Track
- 14
- Title
- Waltz No. 4 in F Major, Op. 34, No. 3, "Valse brillante"
- Duration
- 02:08
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
15 Waltz No. 9 in A-Flat Major, Op. 69, No. 1, "L'adieu" 03:42
- Track
- 15
- Title
- Waltz No. 9 in A-Flat Major, Op. 69, No. 1, "L'adieu"
- Duration
- 03:42
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
16 Waltz No. 5 in A-Flat Major, Op. 42 03:42
- Track
- 16
- Title
- Waltz No. 5 in A-Flat Major, Op. 42
- Duration
- 03:42
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
17 Nocturne No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9, No. 1 05:50
- Track
- 17
- Title
- Nocturne No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 9, No. 1
- Duration
- 05:50
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
18 Waltz No. 6 in D-Flat Major, Op. 64, No. 1, "Minute" 01:40
- Track
- 18
- Title
- Waltz No. 6 in D-Flat Major, Op. 64, No. 1, "Minute"
- Duration
- 01:40
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
19 Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. posth. 04:07
- Track
- 19
- Title
- Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. posth.
- Duration
- 04:07
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
20 Nocturne No. 9 in B Major, Op. 32, No. 1 05:07
- Track
- 20
- Title
- Nocturne No. 9 in B Major, Op. 32, No. 1
- Duration
- 05:07
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
21 Waltz No. 7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2 03:09
- Track
- 21
- Title
- Waltz No. 7 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2
- Duration
- 03:09
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
22 Waltz No. 8 in A-Flat Major, Op. 64, No. 3 02:42
- Track
- 22
- Title
- Waltz No. 8 in A-Flat Major, Op. 64, No. 3
- Duration
- 02:42
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
23 Nocturne No. 11 in G Minor, Op. 37, No. 1 06:30
- Track
- 23
- Title
- Nocturne No. 11 in G Minor, Op. 37, No. 1
- Duration
- 06:30
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie
-
24 Nocturne No. 12 in G Major, Op. 37, No. 2 05:40
- Track
- 24
- Title
- Nocturne No. 12 in G Major, Op. 37, No. 2
- Duration
- 05:40
- Composer
- Frédéric Chopin
- Performer
- Louis Lortie