Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 (1829/30) [32:21]
Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 [38:12]
Étude in E major, Op. 10/3 Tristesse [4:48]
Lang Lang (piano)
Wiener Philharmoniker/Zubin Mehta
rec. June 2008, Grosser Saal, Musikverein, Wien, Austria (Concerto,
Étude); August 2005, Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Harburg, Hamburg,
Germany (Sonata).
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 4790964 [76:12]
I find that those who criticise the playing of Lang
Lang the most are often those who have not actually seen him perform
in concert or recital. They accuse him of throwing himself around the
piano and playing far too loud. When I saw Lang Lang the season before
last in Manchester he did none of this. In fact I was struck by his
humility as well as his palpable artistic excellence and tasteful playing.
For me he communicates a charisma that I have seen only rarely and then
only in the likes of Bernstein and Barenboim. On this disc he has turned
again to the music of Chopin with a programme of what seem to be recordings
made in studio conditions.
The opening work is the Piano Concerto No. 2, commenced
in 1829 when Chopin was a teenager and still living in Poland. It was
Chopin who premièred it as soloist at a concert at Warsaw in
1830. Lang Lang’s general control is splendid and displays a broad
range of tone and dynamic. In the Larghetto his lightness of
touch feels refined and creates a near ethereal quality. The playing
from the Wiener Philharmoniker under Zubin Mehta is as sympathetic as
we have come to expect from this orchestra.
Next comes the four movement Piano Sonata No. 3, written in the
Summer of 1844 and bearing a dedication to Countess Emilie de Perthuis.
Aged 34, Chopin was at his creative peak although it was a distressing
time as his father had died in the Spring. In the opening Allegro
maestoso there’s sparkling playing and in the following Scherzo
a quicksilver approach. It’s all played with such panache and
assurance. In the Largo the tenderness of his playing has an
air of peace and tranquillity on the surface with a slight undercurrent
of melancholy and anxiety. A strong sense of drama and excitement in
the Presto:Finale has one on the point of gasping for
breath.
The Étude in E major, Op. 10 No. 3 was composed in 1832
and is also known by the title Tristesse (Sadness). Lyrical
in character with a slow cantabile melody, it certainly could not be
described as a mere technical exercise. I was struck by Lang Lang’s
glorious legato playing which is imbued with poise and sensibility.
Especially convincing is the stormy central section that he plays with
unforced sincerity.
The recording engineers have excelled with the sound quality of this
release.
This CD stands as further evidence of Lang Lang’s deep empathy
with Chopin’s music. This is combined with a rare and innate ability
to draw the listener into the composer’s compelling yet bitter-sweet
sound-world.
Michael Cookson
