Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
Concerto for Piano and Wind Orchestra (1923-24, rev. 1950) [18:36]
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1928-29, rec. 1949) [16:59]
Movements for Piano and Orchestra (1958-59) [9:10]
Pétrouchka (1910-11, rev. 1946) [34:16]
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano)
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra/Yan Pascal Tortelier
rec. 2014, Sala São Paulo, Júlio Prestes Cultural Center, São Paulo, Brazil
CHANDOS CHSA5147 SACD [79:40]
Brian Wilson’s review of this release covers a great
deal of ground with regard to the alternative recordings available for
these works. While I think there’s a time for trawling through
everything for good, better, best, there’s also a moment when
you see something in the shop or online and just think, 'hmm,
that looks good – I’ll take it.' I’ve been
an enthusiast for Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s recordings in the past,
from the romance of his Debussy
and Pierné
to the impact of his Bartók,
and, as if it were needed, the cool retro looks of this all-Stravinsky
programme clinches the deal to make for an irresistible package as far
as I’m concerned.
Bavouzet and the São Paulo players lend a jazzy swing to the syncopations
in the first and last movements of the Concerto, giving this
piece more of a familial affinity with the best of Milhaud
than I can recall hearing elsewhere, with that unmistakable nervous
energy and poetic power which makes Stravinsky such a distinctive voice
in 20th century music. The same goes for the character of
the wind playing in the second movement, which is given a dark, funereal
feel in this performance. Bavouzet doesn’t over-sentimentalise
or linger over the flourishes and cadenza-like solo, but does give the
music a softness which provides sufficient contrast with the rest to
make things effective. The clarity in the recording gives a vertiginous
insight into Stravinsky’s subtle mixing of timbres.
The Capriccio followed on from the Concerto as a repertoire
piece for Stravinsky’s own concert appearances as a pianist, and
if anything this compact score brings out even more of the nature of
a freely-interpreted concerto grosso form, with its ever shifting perspectives
of different instrumental groups as they appear from behind the pianos
intense and spiky figurations. Jazzy character is brought out again
in the first movement, with moments which could be interpreted as a
nod to Gershwin, though I doubt Stravinsky would have acknowledged such
associations. The central Andante rapsodico is a heady mix
of musical fantasy and eccentric unexpectedness, the musicians here
at times bouncing through the notes like a flat stone skimming over
water. The playful lightness of the third movement is both charming
and packed with cartoonish, sometimes almost grotesque caricature. If
Ravel took the dance from the salon and into the madness of haunted
ballrooms, Stravinsky dragged it into silent-movie cabaret.
Movements, a piano concerto in all but name, is as an example
of this composer’s “full-blown serialism” not one
of his most frequently heard pieces. Despite its angular atonality if
couldn’t be by anyone else however, and the refined accuracy of
the performance makes this a superb reference. If you already have Steven
Osborne on Hyperion
you may not be tempted however, and it’s funny to see the overall
timing is the same to the second between both versions.
Pétrouchka is such a massively popular work that you may not
feel like crossing the road to pick up this version. It is however very
good indeed, with all of the fun and dramatic character you would hope
for from a South American orchestra. There is no pulling back from those
scampering ‘Tom and Jerry’ moments, and with percussion
and brass finally allowed to let rip here and there you can sense real
enjoyment in this session. With a well-paced narrative and a sensitivity
to the score’s scenic contrasts and the composer’s excellent
orchestration Yan Pascal Tortelier delivers a performance which can
stand amongst the best, and at the very least stand in comfortably as
a default library choice without your needing to worry that you are
missing any alternative glories. Bavouzet’s stunning pianism is
the icing on an already very well-seasoned cake.
I’m delighted to hear how well balanced the piano is in this recording,
with none of the massive presence and vanishing orchestras of some other
piano recordings I’ve come across. The SACD effect is terrific,
adding buckets of extra space to a sound which is already demonstration
quality in conventional stereo.
Dominy Clements
Previous review: Brian
Wilson
