CHOPIN Piano Concertos 1&2 Luisi MDG9031632 [OL]: Classical Music Reviews

The orchestration of Chopin’s piano concertos is not perfect. Everyone will agree. It’s not even known whether Chopin himself did the orchestration. We do however know that he prepared versions for piano and string quintet and published them even before the orchestral ones. These are the versions performed here.

Certainly, clarity of texture, is one of the advantages of this approach. The piano is not drowned under the heavy-handed orchestral tutti any more. Therefore, there is no need for the pianist to over-shout the accompaniment. The ensemble is more flexible. Some inner voices are better heard. I especially loved the cello lines that resurface from the background and intertwine with the piano. The slow movements attain a “honeyed” quality – à la Tchaikovsky Second. At the end of the day, these piano concertos are not about dialog between the soloist and the orchestra. They are piano showpieces, with the orchestra added to punctuate and set off some sides and corners. The piano part is still there; does it really matter much whether you place your diamonds on black velvet or black silk?

There are disadvantages too, besides the expected “we are just not used to it”. Some corners that are “rounded” when many instruments play the part become sharp when there is only one voice to a part. I really miss the woodwind in some places, like the first movement E minor coda. Also, when playing forte, the strings sometimes seem to be trying to impersonate the full orchestra and just strain and “squeeze” the voice out.

The sound of the restored 1901 Steinway is certainly attractive, but not especially powerful. This lends fragile beauty to the slow movements and gentler places. It also brings real quicksilver colors to more mercurial episodes, as in the coda of the E minor finale. On the other hand, the sound lacks weight in the more tempestuous places. For example, the mighty cascades at the end of the E minor 1^st movement development lose the overwhelming effect they usually have. In the slow movement of the same concerto, the piano sound is too sharp for real poetry to awake. The climax of the finale - before the last return of the refrain - leaves the feeling of “what if”. I probably cannot be a fair judge here: I am a Martha Argerich fan, and happen to love her “thundering” approach to this concerto. I always return to the evergreen Pollini/Kletzki on EMI. The latest live performance by Argerich and Kaspszyk from the 2010 Lugano box is also excellent.

The chamber approach suits the F minor concerto much better. Although it resembles the Op.11 concerto, as a twin sister resembles her brother, it is gentler, less dramatic. Also, the role of the piano is greater here, and Luisi’s playing is especially expressive and subtle, so it compensates for any discomfort you may feel from the “adventurous” accompaniment. The coda of the first movement is as sensitive and beautiful as ever. The piano is deeply poetic in the slow movement, with strings murmuring softly. This movement probably benefits the most from the reduction of forces. The rich piano part of the finale feels good in chamber clothes. It glitters and flutters like a butterfly in the sun. The mood is light and relaxed. Unfortunately, it also means that the excitement is gone. It is beautiful – but boring.

Chopin is Chopin, and if you love his piano concertos you’ll find a lot to love here. Also, it is interesting to envision what it was like when he played his concertos in Parisian salons, with reduced forces. I wish I could be more enthusiastic. Indeed, I hear more inner lines, but these lines are thin and sharp, as if I saw on an X-ray the skeleton of a beautiful ballerina. I understand that there is a lot on both sides of the weighing scales, and probably your own head needs to be added to the equation. So I advise to listen to excerpts online, if possible.

I cannot appraise the SACD sound quality, but on a regular player I do not feel any especial depth of sound. Quite the contrary, strings sound shallow, although the piano voice is captured well.

The booklet contains an engaging essay by Elisabeth Deckers in English, French and German about the history of creation of the concertos in their various arrangements, as well as advocacy for the chamber version of these works.

Oleg Ledeniov

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