Every month, there are numerous Chopin recordings being released. Tal Agam writes about four new Chopin albums worthy of attention.
Chopin – Four Ballades, Four Scherzi – Abdel Rahman El Bacha
El Bacha has already recorded most of Chopin’s repertoire for the “Furlana” label many years back, and sampling these older performances for comparison with this new version shows that his style and approach to the music remained remarkably consistent. This is a Chopin playing of a high order, but its poetic qualities might be overshadowed at first listen by the technical command. Imagine Maurizio Pollini but with a piano sound that is less harsh and slightly more doubtful in the slower sections of the Ballades and Scherzos.
It’s not always comfortable listening to Chopin’s romanticism played with such precision and strict tempi; In this sense, the Scherzi are more successful (especially the outer parts of each piece) and the Ballads feel eager to move to the difficult codas. The way El Bacha treats the middle sections of the Scherzi doesn’t help ease the listening experience, with to-a-bar treatment of the songful melodies. I’m also not entirely convinced by the choice of instrument – a Bechstein D 282, which works very well for Peter Donohoe’s ongoing Mozart cycle (reviewed here) but lacks presence in the right hand’s slow phrasing. An interesting performance nonetheless.
Chopin – Four Ballades, Three Impromptus, Fantasie-Impromptu – Anna Vinnitskaya
Pianist Anna Vinnitskaya also plays the Ballads, but groups them with the 3 Impromptus and Fantasie-Impromptu. Here you’ll find a more natural and thought-out transitioning from outer and middle sections on both groups of works. The rubato Vinnitskaya uses is more pronounce and her instinct in emotionally charged moments is to push the tempi forward. It’s certainly less predictable and more engaging Chopin playing than El Bacha’s, even if time would tell how well it sits after many listens.
Highlights are the First and Second Ballades (the latter is also a highlight in Bacha’s album), and superb voicing in the second Impromptu’s middle section. The Polonaise-like part of this Impromptu made me wish for a Polonaise cycle with this pianist. Overall, the impromptus as played here are world different in style and tone from the Ballades (as they should be), which creates a nice two-part program. This is a Chopin album to return to many times.
Chopin – Preludes, Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brillante – Charles Richard-Hamelin
I was quite positive in my review of Charles Richard-Hamelin’s previous Chopin release, which included the two Piano Concertos, and liked his album of the four Ballades and Impromptus. I described his performance as “…assured, calm and rather unsentimental.” Hamelin’s take on the Preludes is coming from the same musical mind, but this calmness somewhat works against these particular pieces.
The slower preludes (No. 6 is a good example), are robed of their fluidity and nervousness, and the whole performance is dominated by reflectiveness that weakens the musical argument. There is some impressive pianism, though, like in the second Prelude, where the left hand is masterfully leading the way to the main melody. Nice recording and instrument too, but this will satisfy mainly dedicated fans of this talented artist.
Chopin – 18 Waltzes – Aimo Pagin
There is a slight tendency to overlook the Waltzes when performing or recording Chopin, maybe due to their seemingly superficial treatment of music ideas. But there is nothing superficial of Aimo Pagin’s performance of 18 Waltzes, including posthumous works. In Pagin’s hands, the Waltzes are similar to the composer’s Mazurkas, where the basic dance rhythm sometimes appears as a direct quote and sometimes as a distant memory (like in the A Minor Waltz, Op. 34 No. 2). On other Waltzes, Pagin is unapologetically virtuosic and manages to bring to the forth surprising voices in repeated phrases (hear Op. 42, track 5).
Most of all, this is a revelation in terms of sound production when playing Chopin; Pagin chooses a Bösendorfer grand, which possesses a shorter decay and a brilliant attack that allows for mesmerizing transparency. This, and Pagin’s unique interpretation, makes this a Chopin release to treasure.
Covered Albums
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