This is a seriously impressive recording. The Prokofiev Second
Concerto isn't the sort of piece you can make sound easy, but
Anna Vinnitskaya's control at the keyboard is astonishing, and
her playing is near enough faultless. Not many pianists would
dare programme the work for their orchestral début recording,
but it is clearly the right choice for her. And there is subtlety
here too: her dynamics range for the barely perceptible to the
thundering, and both the gradual dynamics changes and the sudden
shifts are handled with expert precision.
Precision and control are words that come to mind with the Ravel
too. Like the Prokofiev, it is given a clean no-nonsense reading,
and like the Prokofiev it is a work that responds very well
to it. She approaches the jazz inflections as one might in Gershwin,
with warmth but without any sort of stylistic exaggeration.
Much of the passagework in the Ravel is presented with a muscular
tone and plenty of rhythm. The piece responds just as well to
more wispy and introverted approaches, but played like this
it forms the perfect coupling for the Prokofiev. And whatever
your views on the relative merits of the two composers, the
Prokofiev is definitely the main feature of this disc, to the
extent that you often feel his presence somewhere in the background
of the Ravel.
Much of the rhythmic drive in Vinnitskaya's playing comes from
the left hand. She never lets the melody lead her, not even
in the slow movement of the Ravel, instead keeping a rigorous
balance between the two hands. If anything, this makes the virtuosity
in the Prokofiev even more impressive, the focused stability
of the left hand acting as the perfect complement to the more
dazzling passagework of the right.
Naïve are clearly aware of what a huge star they have on
their hands, so they've been sure to team her up with a top-class
conductor, orchestra and sound team. The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester
Berlin have an excellent recent track-record on disc, and this
one is no exception. The orchestra has a busy time of it too,
especially in the Ravel, and their performance is up to the
same high standard as the soloist. The unity of the string sound
is as good as you could want, and the crispness of the various
woodwind solos in both concertos perfectly matches the precision
of Vinnitskaya's touch.
The engineering too is superlative. Even the sound engineers
are stretched in this repertoire. Both composers write well
for the orchestra, but they both throw in experimental textures
that could easily disrupt the delicate balance between soloist
and ensemble. Surprisingly, both the piano and the orchestra
are crystal clear throughout. While the engineers should take
much of the credit for this, it is also worth considering what
Vinnitskaya's technique offers in this respect. For much of
the Prokofiev, it sounds like she is playing full whack, but
the fact that so many of the details of the orchestration remain
audible suggest that she is achieving this muscular tone at
a range of lower dynamics. How does she do it? It's a complete
mystery to me, but I can't wait to hear some more.
Gavin Dixon
Anna Vinnitskaya (piano) 
