Helene Grimaud - Reflections - Mork, Otter, Salonen, Staatskapelle Dresden

 

Release Date: 09/12/2006 Label: Deutsche Grammophon Number of discs: 1 Composer: Johannes Brahms,  Clara Wieck Schumann,  Robert Schumann Performer: Hélène Grimaud cd info/ buy

Review:

Who are the most gripping pianists currently performing? Earl Wild, the eminence grise; Martha Argerich and Maurizio Pollini, the eminences not-quite-so-grises; Marc-André Hamelin and Stephen Hough among the 40-somethings. Five or six years ago, I wouldn’t have expected Hélène Grimaud to join the elite. The transition from wunderkind to artistic post-adolescence is a difficult one, and for a while, it seemed as if the enormously talented Grimaud was settling for a comfortable, but not especially striking, career. But something seems to have happened since then. Her Chopin/Rachmaninoff collection revealed a tough, independent-minded pianist of the highest caliber, and this new collection—entitled “Reflection”—is, if anything, even better. The thematic core is “love.” But those looking for easy sentiment should seek elsewhere, for Grimaud sees love as “a revelation understood as feverish,” and the performances here are feverish indeed. Not that they’re consistently overwrought. Indeed, one of the wonders of this eventful disc is its subtle variety of expression: the play of moods at the end of the second movement of Robert’s Concerto, for instance, the sensitive shift in atmosphere as spring arrives at the end of Clara’s “Er ist gekommen,” the patches of reverie that dot the first movement of the Brahms Sonata. But I think it’s fair to say that, on the whole, impulse trumps contemplation: these works are presented as energetic, boldly articulated, rhythmically vital surges of passion. Even the middle movement of the Concerto, for all its ravishing curves, has strong undercurrents; and I doubt you’ve heard the finale of the Brahms Sonata played more ardently. It is, perhaps, a bit too much to take at one sitting—even given the diversity of medium. But every one of these performances is, on its own, absolutely compelling. It’s hard to believe that this is the same pianist whose previous performance of the Schumann Concerto so disappointed Leslie Gerber. Grimaud is blessed with exceptional partners—these are something more than mere collaborations, revealing a kind of rare interpretive affinity that matches the rare (if fraught) affinities of the three composers on the disc. Mørk’s churning Brahms is especially thrilling. The sound is excellent, too. In a word, treasurable.

 

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Robert Schumann - 4 Symphonies - Kurt Masur, Gewandhaus Orchestra

Release Date: 1 May 1997 Label: RCA Red Seal Number of discs: 2 Composer: Robert Schumann Performer: Kurt Masur, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra cd info/ buy

Review:

Schumann is perhaps the personification of Romantic ideals. His life was essentially a tragic struggle against depression, alcoholism, and insanity. In his writings and compositions, he gave himself several personalities: the impetuous Florestan, Eusebius the dreamer, and Raro the rationalist. They can all be heard in his music, which combines his own uniquely dreamy, almost hallucinatory, Romanticism with Classical structure. His symphonies contain some of the most spontaneously joyful music ever written. Once criticized for their unconventional orchestration, they are again enjoying the popularity they deserve.

 

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Schumann – The 4 Symphonies – Leonard Bernstein , New York Philharmonic Orchestra

 

Release Date: November 16, 2001 Label: Sony Number of discs: 2 Composer: Robert Schumann Performer: Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic Orchestra cd info/ buy

Review:

It's surprising that mention is still made of the difficulties conductors allegedly have with Schumann's so-called "muddy" orchestration when these recordings (and several others) have been kicking around for nearly 50 years. The Third in this set has always been a favorite, with excellent playing and genuine atmosphere, but the other symphonies, and the Manfred, I discovered to be equally fine. True to Bernstein of this era there's lots of fire and attention to inner detail but few of the eccentricities he was prone to in some later recordings. The adagio of the Second is taken slowly and this might be a harbinger of things to come, but it works well here and was probably very thrilling back in the Sixties when these were first around. Although the contemporaneous Szell set is universally praised and I love it for it's unsurpassed beer and schnitzel Germanic qualities, this one is more exciting and probably will appeal to contemporary audiences a hair more (although you really shouldn't live without Szell if you love Schumann). It's not quite as hair-raisingly energetic as the Paray set from the same era--released on Mercury and temporarily out of print--but it's better recorded and I think possibly a bit better played here. (The Paray is still mandatory too!). All in all this strikes me as the best of all the available older integral recordings of these works. I prefer the older recordings too because they always seem to have more of what I can best describe as "feeling." A real gem.

 

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