Vassily Primakov in Concert - Volume 2
Felix MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY (1809-1847)
Lieder ohne Worte, Op.30 (Songs without Words, Book 2) (1833-1834)
[17:51]
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Suite No.2 in C minor (“French”), BWV 813 (1722-1725) [14:34]
Philip GLASS (b.1937)
Suite from “The Hours” (The Poet Acts; Morning Passages;
Tearing Herself Away; The Hours) (2002) [17:48]
(compiled by V.Primakov after the piano transcriptions by Michael Riesman
and Nico Muhly)
Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Suite Bergamasque (Prélude; Menuet; Clair de lune;
Passepied ) (1890-1905) [17:19]
Vassily Primakov (piano)
rec. 2005 (Mendelssohn); 2006, New York (Bach); 2008 (Glass, Debussy)
BRIDGE 9350 [67:41]
This is the second disc of live concert recordings of Vassily Primakov issued
by the Bridge label. The first one, reviewed
here, contained music by Brahms, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov.
In the second one the pianist takes a break from the great romantics whose
music usually forms the base for his programs.
The compilation opens with the second set of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without
Words, a collection of Romantic bagatelles, melodically rich and holding
well together. The first piece resembles a Chopin nocturne: it is unhurried
yet with tension, and encloses a glorious melody. The second is Erlkönig-like:
nervous; fast running, with a suddenly affirmative, major-key ending. No.3
is confident and solemn; it moves in a calm, measured pace. No.4 is marked
Agitato e con fuoco. The anxious, disheveled melody lashes over the
nervous, drumming staccato – like in the Intermezzo from
the Midsummer incidental music. No.5 plays the role of a “Mendelssohn
scherzo” in this set: it is happily rolling, simple and open, like a busy,
bubbling brook. The last piece, a Barcarolle, is tender and cool,
with a graciously swaying beautiful melody.
Primakov applies poetic touch and shapes the melodies persuasively. But his
performance is a bit heavy, especially in the left hand. I am not a specialist
and can’t point at the factor, such as the instrument, the pedaling, the acoustics
or the recording decisions, but more lightness and transparency can be obtained
here. The recorded sound is not the clearest possible. Primakov’s reading
of No.1 is dark and weighty. In No.2, I feel that he is losing the classical
clarity and crispiness, one of Mendelssohn’s attributes – but instead adds
passion and Romantic push. He does not let the music drag in No.3, and expresses
well its choral-like solemnity. But in No.4, the sound is too resonant for
the frequent staccato chords, and the result gets murky. A more dry
sound would be better here: the melody drowns under the heavy accompaniment.
No.5 is turned from a light, elfin scherzo into a Rachmaninov-like song with
accompaniment, which makes some sense considering the title of the set. In
the last piece, the pianist “helps” the music a little to express its emotions,
though it arguably could do it perfectly well on its own. Primakov’s Chopin
and Schumann are excellent, and I feel that he puts his Mendelssohn very close
to them. So, to enjoy it one should throw away all preconceptions and expectations,
and just relax: then it will work really well.
Bach’s French Suite No.2 could look very alien in the company of
Mendelssohn, Debussy and Glass, but in Primakov’s interpretation it fits the
mosaic naturally. This Bach is modern, a tad romanticized but with care, and
never overdone. It reminded me of the wonderful album Brendel Plays Bach
on Philips. Compared to more “white” interpretations – like those by Angela
Hewitt, for example – Primakov’s reading is more emotional and subjective.
For example, whereas the Allemande by Hewitt clearly shows its roots
as a dance, the dancers to Primakov’s Allemande would probably stop
and listen. I feel that he is emotionally attached to this music – the thing
that we often got with the pianists of old, but less and less in the new “organic”
generations. This Allemande is gentle, airy and cool.
Courante means “running” and Primakov in his interpretation goes
fast – or flies fast, for there is a definite airborne feeling. Performance
on a modern piano inevitably brings some minor stomping, since the bass is
heavier. His phrasing is beautiful – and the same applies to the ensuing Sarabande,
whose serene beauty is brought out finely. The middle episode, where the left
hand goes marcato, is even a little creepy. Aria is sharp
and concentrated; all the voices are well projected. The texture of Menuet
is rather sparse, and it seems to me that the sound is hard in the right hand.
The second minuet (BWV813a) is omitted. It must be not easy to bring out the
highly syncopated Gigue, yet Primakov gives it enough impetus and
weight, and even certain rudeness, disclosing its origin in folk dances. Facelessness
is the plague of the modern interpretations of Bach – not in this case!
You can’t make a decent movie without good music to set the mood. I understand
why the directors continue to order film scores from the minimalist composer
Philip Glass, for he knows how to set the mood big time - even though his
range of moods is minimalistic too. From the award-winning soundtrack to the
psychological drama The Hours (featuring three unforgettable primas)
Primakov compiled a suite of four pieces. He used the piano transcriptions
by Riesman and Muhly and added some alterations. The parts are connected seamlessly.
In the first one, The Poet Acts, obsessive rhythmical figures create
the mood of dark, restless waiting. In ballad-like Morning Passes,
one can only find something new if one never heard the music of Philip Glass
before. But if you are not allergic to his style you might actually enjoy
it. It starts with more light and lightness than the first piece, but also
with sadness, and dramatic gushes of wind; the wind becomes stronger by the
second half and brings hard rain. Tearing Herself Away starts tranquil
and gloomy, subdued, hypnotic. Halfway through, the tension starts to gather,
the texture doubles in density and then doubles again, the arpeggios quicken,
and we enter a tumultuous episode – and all calms down again. The last part,
The Hours, finally adds some major-key serenity, and some majestic
pathos in the middle. The ending is sad and quiet.
Primakov gives us quite a Romantic reading that will appeal to a wider audience
than just the devoted Glass-eaters. This music could be played in a more detached
and cool, more “purely minimalistic” manner. As usual with Glass, it sounds
like an accompaniment to an imaginary melody. One might argue that this is
music “too easy to compose”; still, it is music, and nobody else does it exactly
like this, and Philip Glass does it well. I am ambivalent here: on the first
hearing, Glass always fascinates me; on the fifth, I wish I’ll never hear
it again. The music certainly receives a devoted presentation here.
Primakov’s Suite Bergamasque is bright and sonorous, with saturated
colors. The recording is rather close and resonant, and the piano has beautiful
sound. Primakov starts the Prélude in a grand manner, with unhurried
poise. He infuses it with a mystic, fairy-tale quality, but that of Charles
Perrault, not of Maeterlinck. This is a very singing interpretation, even
a little Puccinian. The Menuet also very songful, and instead of
its usual cautiousness and antiqueness I hear some smiling mischievousness
and Rachmaninov’s big gestures. Clair de lune is sensual and has
much beauty, though little mystery: it sounds almost like Chopin. Nice little
lamps are scattered around the garden, to help the moonlight. Their light
is brighter, and the darkness seems deeper by contrast. There is the same
depth and contrast in Passepied. The melodies breathe; there is a
feeling of looking back in time, maybe with some regret. This is a very absorbing
performance, with excellent drive, and a cool ending. Primakov’s playing has
weight but is not heavy; he paints with thick lines and bold strokes. The
high accentuated notes occasionally sound hard and ringing, but not to a disturbing
level.
As usual, Vassily Primakov has given us a disc of great music performed with
sense and sensibility. Some may not like the sound of his Mendelssohn, others
may not consider Glass worthy of inclusion, or may think that Bach sounds
too Romantic. But overall, I am sure everyone will find something to his taste
here. As usual, Primakov showed me the music from a new interesting perspective,
and I thank him for that.
Oleg Ledeniov
The pianist is emotionally attached to the music and shows it from a new interesting
perspective.