Tchaikovsky: The Seasons / Yuan Sheng

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Yuan Sheng has a deep understanding and command of harpsichord and early pianos that has resulted in many well-received historically informed performances and recordings. In...

Yuan Sheng has a deep understanding and command of harpsichord and early pianos that has resulted in many well-received historically informed performances and recordings. In reviewing his all-Beethoven recital on an 1805 Kathönig piano, the Boston Intelligencer remarked that ‘Sheng had absorbed this music so thoroughly that a listener might easily have imagined the composer at the keyboard.’ For this new recording of Tchaikovsky’s evergreen musical diary, Sheng has returned to the reliable refinements of a modern Steinway, yet the nuances of his performance reflect concerns to grasp and convey the styles of phrasing and articulation that would have been second nature to Tchaikovsky. As a cycle of salon pieces, The Seasons has never ceased to afford pleasure both to listeners and to amateur pianists since it was first published in 1885, though Tchaikovsky had compiled its contents over several years. It is here complemented by works dating from different periods of Tchaikovsky’s career, similarly undemanding in style. According to International Piano, Yuan Sheng is China’s ‘premier interpreter of Bach’. Having studied in the US, including an intensive period with the legendary Bach interpreter Rosalyn Tureck, he has maintained an international performing career alongside his post as professor of piano at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music.

REVIEW:

Yuan Sheng presents a recording that has a lot to offer, with tempos that are slightly slower than Lev Vinocour’s MDG recording. This accentuates the slower pieces, giving a lovely performance for example of ‘March: Song of the Lark’ and ‘May: May Nights’, here the playing allows the lyrical and tender elements of the music to shine through. On the other hand, in the quicker movements such as ‘February: Carnival’, Yuan holds his own, I do find his ‘Troika’ to be caught in a bit of a snowdrift, a nice rendition but a little too slow for my liking. He follows this with a lovely rendition of ‘December: Christmas’ in which he accentuates the waltz elements of the piece.

Yuan Sheng offers five more of the composers one hundred and fifty or so piano pieces, including nice recordings of the two opus 10 pieces. However, it is the opus 59 ‘Dumka’ that is the standout piece amongst them. Perhaps it is because the piece was intended for the concert hall, but this is Tchaikovsky at his best, it certainly lives up to its working title of ‘Rhapsody’, with the time to develop the strong rhapsodic elements of this music coming to fruition here. Lev Vinocour also offers this piece on his disc and to be honest there is very little to compare between the two pianists, with both offering a first-rate performance.

Yuan Sheng therefore offers the listener a good reading of this ever-popular suite of pieces, one which, if it lacks the insight if Lev Vinocour certainly has a lot going for it, especially when you take into account the recorded sound and very good booklet notes.

– MusicWeb International



Product Description:


  • Release Date: November 09, 2018


  • UPC: 5029365101578


  • Catalog Number: PCL10157


  • Label: Piano Classics


  • Number of Discs: 1


  • Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky


  • Performer: Yuan Sheng