Review: Chopin – Piano Sonata No. 3, Szymanowski – Variations – Jonathan Fournel

The opening of this album, which includes solo piano works by Chopin and Szymanowski, is quite promising. Jonathan Fournel starts Szymanowski’s variations Op. 3 in impressively voiced chords, that catches the composer’s dark romanticism. Overall, Fournel makes an excellent case for this rarely performed piece of over 11 minutes.

I’m not completely sure about placing Chopin’s third piano sonata which follows right after these variations. A new performance of this much-loved piece needs to stand out against previous performances by (to name just select few) Dinu Lipatti, Arthur Rubinstein, Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire, and Leif Ove Andsnes. Fournel has a finely rounded, orchestral tone quality that makes itself immediately apparent, but it’s not always enough to stand agains these past performances. It also doesn’t help that, to these ears, the instrument sounds a bit further away in the soundscape than in the Szymanowski.

In the first movement of the sonata (track 2), a slightly bolder emphasis on the maestoso character could enhance the grandeur of the opening chords. The subsequent sections, while well-executed, could benefit from a greater variety of phrasing. This becomes especially apparent in the D major second theme, one of Chopin’s finest, which tends to sound rather straight compared to Andsnes. 

The Scherzo (track 3) fares better, especially in the outer sections, Fournel’s technical facility is evident in the swift runs. While a tad more sparkle might bring out the light-hearted spirit even better, the immaculate spacing of the notes is well-executed. Yet the middle section could have had a more individualized interpretation, perhaps drawing inspiration from the expressive nuances found in Lipatti’s unmatched warmth and human quality.

Given the impressive opening statement of the Finale, I was anticipating the long-awaited appearance of more substance across the board, but Fournel scales back fairly quickly. While he does capture the acrobatic elegance of the filigrees and runs, listeners might prefer a bit more drama, as found in Freire’s reading.

I was particularly curious about Szymanowski’s Op. 10 variations, as I had reviewed a version by Krystian Zimerman back in 2022. While sounding somewhat even-keeled compared to Zimerman, and lacks the variety of phrase shaping that makes that recording both enigmatic and nostalgic, there’s much to admire here; The agitato of Var. 2 (track 9) and Var. 4 (track 11) come through in confident deliveries. Particularly effective are his deep and thunderous left hand octaves, that bring forth a captivating sense of tumult. In the funeral march (track 15), Fournel transforms the lower register of the piano into deep, tolling bells, which then evoke the cataclysmic character of the eighth variation.

The liner notes, unfortunately, mirror qualities in the Chopin performances, coming off a bit bland: the lion’s share is devoted to the third sonata and has only short insights into its composition.

It’s admirable that Fournel has chosen to tackle challenging staples of the repertoire: The highlight of the album is certainly the Szymanowski Op. 10. But for the Chopin, the recording offers a baseline — not anything unique enough to stand out as an urgent addition to the pre-existing canon.

Image: © Alexei Kostromin

Recommended Comparisons:

Chopin: Andsnes | Argerich | Lipatti | Rubinstein | Freire
Szymanowski: Zimerman

Chopin – Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 58
Szymanowski – Variations for piano, Op. 3, 10
Jonathan Fournel – Piano

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