Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Fantasie in C, op.17 (1836-39) [31:08]
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Etudes-Tableaux, op.39 (1916-17) [38:25]
Alexander Drozdov (piano)
rec. March 2010, Westvest 90 Church, Schiedam, Netherlands.
DDD
QUINTONE 10008 [69:33]
This debut disc by Russian-born, Netherlands-based pianist Alexander
Drozdov was originally released in late 2010 and recently re-launched.
A quotation on Drozdov's website states baldly that he is "the
most fascinating musical personality to appear on the piano
planet since Nicholas Angelich. An authentic genius." Such hyperbole
in promotional material seems to be as commonplace these days
as its obverse, the cavalier critical dismissal by a cloth-eared
reviewer. It is best laid to one side for a few years at least.
Meanwhile, the listener can savour Drozdov's cogent, poetic
and virtuosic readings of these magnificent works by Schumann
and Rachmaninov which, when heard side by side, throw up some
surprising similarities.
Schumann's Fantasie in C is one of his greatest works for piano,
a scintillating sonata in all but name, and written with the
noblest of motives: to raise money for a monument to Beethoven,
eventually unveiled in Bonn before Queen Victoria in 1845. Written
thus in Beethoven's memory and dedicated also to Liszt, the
Fantasie promises much on paper and in terms of scale, virtuosity
and emotional power leaves quite an impression. Drozdov is by
all accounts a modest, unassuming person, and those traits come
out in his pianism, which is sensitive and unpretentious. His
phrasing in the Fantasie is captivating, recreating the exquisite
structure of the work that not all pianists achieve.
It would be a cliché to cite Drozdov's 'Russian soul'
as a key factor in his emphatic reading of the Rachmaninov.
In the Etudes-Tableaux at least the composer is not especially
Russian, and indeed some of the finest recordings of those works
where he does seem steeped in nationalist spirit have been made
by non-Russians. Nevertheless, Drozdov has clearly immersed
himself in these immortal pieces over a long period, and he
reaches down into their cryptic recesses with an impressive
display of emotional balance and physical strength. Rachmaninov
gives the pianist barely a fraction of a second to think anywhere
in these nine miniature masterpieces, the drain both emotional
and physical; there is nowhere to hide for those not in possession
of a masterly technique, iron self-discipline and substantial
emotional maturity. Drozdov is no Rachmaninov but if his aim
is emulation, this debut performance is at least a good start
in the right direction.
The accompanying booklet is demureness itself, with standard
notes by Drozdov describing and linking the two works, and a
short biographical note on the pianist. The booklet is housed
safely in a sleeve under the front cover of the digipak case.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at reviews.gramma.co.uk
Modest and unassuming, sensitive, unpretentious and captivating.