The two different catalogue numbers above can be explained by
the fact that the labelling of the physical CD indicates the
Portrait original (but see below), released in 2008, whereas
the booklet and inlay are in the livery of Regis, who have just
reissued this disc after re-mastering it. In truth, that is
not much of an explanation, and indeed there are more questions
that Regis must answer: why is there no mention in the booklet
of John Lill, why no note on the historical significance of
this recording, why no where-or-when details, why no hint of
the original source of these recordings?
More to the point, why not state that this disc is in fact a
composite re-release of well-received recordings Lill made for
the Nimbus label in the 1990s? The Piano Sonata no.2 is from
NI 5348 (1994), the Corelli Variations from NI 5478 (1996) and
the Moments Musicaux from NI 5575 (1998). There is clearly a
danger that Regis could mislead browsers into buying recordings
that they perhaps already own - after all, John Lill is still
very much alive and well and performing, and these could theoretically
be new recordings, as opposed to ones that are over fifteen
years old. It could also be argued that the Regis reissue is
not happily timed, as Nimbus themselves released a 3-disc set
of Lill playing Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos just a few months
previously, a set which also included these very recordings
of the Second Sonata and Corelli Variations - see review.
There are plus sides, however: Rachmaninov's music is superb,
and likely at the very least to please anyone attracted to his
famous Prelude in C sharp minor op.3 no.2, or the Second Piano
Concerto. John Lill is also in excellent form. All three works,
the Sonata and Variations in particular, have been recorded
umpteen times before, so Lill has massive competition. Favourite
versions will ultimately come down to personal taste, with Simon
Trpčeski and Freddy Kempff likely the front-runners among
many excellent interpreters, but no one can go wrong with Lill's
understated brilliance.
As for the re-mastering, the only truly justifiable reason for
the re-release: it is very good, it has to be said. The
original Nimbus sound was fine but not exceptional, and engineer
Paul Arden-Taylor has clarified and deepened it. A final reason
for any potential buyer to give this disc full consideration
is its value for money - not just the 78+ minutes of Rachmaninov,
but the bargain price - available widely on the internet at
prices well below those legendary of Naxos.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at reviews.gramma.co.uk
John Lill (piano)
