Frédéric (Fryderyk) CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Études Opus 10 and Opus 25
Details after review
Matthew Cameron (piano)
ARABESQUE RECORDS Z6875 [66:29]
Download only
I was pleased to have a further opportunity to hear and review the latest offering
from the virtuoso pianist Matthew Cameron. His earlier recording for Arabesque,
Romantic Favorites, featured Chopin, Liszt and some of his own compositions
(Z6833 – DL
News 2013/14) and I also reviewed and liked his Liszt recording for Cala
(DL
News 2014/2).
Each of the Chopin Études concentrates on a particular aspect of piano
technique and the set as a whole can be performed only by pianists who have
mastered every problem associated with piano playing. This new recording of
the complete Études confirms that Matthew Cameron is well up to the task
involved, but not only technically, because this work requires a performer who
understands the musical implications which will make the complete set convincing
as a satisfying and magnificent whole.
In the first Étude of Opus 10 I felt that the recorded balance was rather
too weighted to the left hand, and you can really hear the difference if you
compare this with the glittering semiquavers in Murray Perahia’s performance
on Sony Classics (review)
but I liked Cameron’s dynamic variety, especially his soft playing, and his
judicious pedalling. Cameron’s singing tone is apparent in the main theme of
the third Étude which has a light and delicate semiquaver accompaniment.
The occasional note (e.g. the second semiquaver in bar 1) can barely be heard
but the music has a nice flow and I liked the elegiac quality of the return
of the main theme. At the poco più animato, Cameron builds his climaxes
well as his virtuosity comes to the fore.
In Étude No.4, he employs his virtuoso technique to scintillating effect
and every semiquaver is perfectly in place. Chopin’s dynamic and expression
marks are carefully observed and Matthew Cameron makes an exciting conclusion
to the piece. He gives a convincing and moving performance of Étude No.6,
exploiting the expressive qualities of the piece to the full. After building
to a fine climax, his return to the melancholy and sadness of the opening is
very touching. I prefer this to the quicker and emotionally rather uninvolved
version by Murray Perahia.
Cameron is again slower than Perahia in No.7 which is marked vivace,
but this allows for greater clarity in the texture, resulting in a more musical
performance. Perahia produces a more powerful climax at the end of the piece
where it is marked fortissimo, but again I prefer Cameron’s approach
to this piece. In Étude No.8, Cameron’s right hand is scintillating in
its clarity. This is very difficult to play but the musical shape of the phrasing
in the left hand is always maintained. I am not convinced by Cameron’s pianissimo
ending! At this point Perahia plays fortissimo, as marked by Chopin.
Étude No.9 in F minor is a melancholic piece but Cameron gives it a nice
swing. He begins with a light touch, and subtle pedalling throughout contributes
to the success of this performance. The musical line is always maintained in
Étude No.11 in spite of the technical difficulties presented by the arpeggiated
chords. This is a delicate and attractive performance.
Opus 10 concludes with the famous Revolutionary Study. This is a fast
and furious virtuoso performance, although somewhat idiosyncratic. Sometimes
the left-hand semiquavers cannot be clearly heard at this speed but maybe this
is a deliberate effect. Occasionally the pedalling seems a bit arbitrary, adding
a touch of blurriness here and there, for example from bar 73 where the music
almost seems to come to a halt at one place. I wondered why Cameron adds an
extra chord in bar 55! Istvan Szekely on Amadis plays with great clarity in
spite of the fast tempo, but he lacks imagination and his recording is rather
boxy. Masako Ezaki on Triton is true to the text, but the master here is Perahia
whose thrilling performance has everything: excitement, flair and panache combined
with clarity and subtlety of expression.
Matthew Cameron’s performance of Opus 25 No.1 is characterised by beautifully
shaped phrases, and in spite of extremes of rubato when once or twice
the music almost comes to a halt, the flow is nevertheless maintained. It is
preferable to Niu Niu who is well-recorded on Warner Classics but comparatively
uninspired, although traditional sounding and accurate. Andrei Gavrilov’s performance
on Warner Classics (review)
is similar but more interesting.
Cameron plays the triplet quavers of No.2 with a light touch, and I particularly
like the melodic shaping of the middle section in No.5 where the left-hand melody
is nicely balanced by the right-hand triplets and semiquavers. He has better
control over the evenness of tone in the outer sections than Gavrilov, and his
central section is more convincing.
The difficult right-hand semiquavers in thirds present no problem for Cameron
in Étude No.6, which he plays with attractive tone and phrasing. No.7
is a truly elegiac masterpiece and provides the central pivot for the Opus 25
set. Perahia’s performance is very fine indeed, but Cameron’s performance is
considerably slower and imbued with deep feeling and passion. I much enjoyed
this superb performance which proves beyond doubt that the Études are
so much more than mere pianistic showpieces. Cameron plays with refinement of
touch and beautiful tone and he builds the music to a magnificent climax at
fff before reaching the conclusion with its final sense of resignation.
No.8, in sixths, is played with a variety of touch and an attractive, light
non-legato in softer playing. I find Perahia’s recording preferable here
with his more consistently even legato.
I particularly like the phrasing and expressive qualities in the central nocturne-like
passage of No.10 in octaves, where Cameron sometimes pushes the inner voices
through the texture attractively. There is much poetry to be enjoyed here.
No.11 is one of the longest and most virtuosic of the Études and it requires
consistent stamina. Cameron plays magnificently and I liked the idea of adding
a few extra soft passages to those marked by Chopin. Niu Niu’s virtuosity is
outstanding, but again the performance seems rather cold and uninteresting.
Finally, Cameron’s performance of the whirlwind drama of No.12 is well-focused
and, whilst being faithful to the text, is full of ideas.
My benchmark recording of these works remains that by Murray Perahia and his
recording is outstanding. The piano tone is warmer than that on Arabesque for
Cameron and this dryness sometimes results in hardness of tone, especially in
very loud, left had octaves and chords. But Matthew Cameron’s Chopin playing
is of the highest order and well worth hearing. Mr. Cameron shows that he is
young musician with much to offer, always poetic and expressive as well as virtuosic.
He puts his own stamp on his performances, and this recording is up there with
the very best available.
Geoffrey Molyneux
I had intended to add a few words to Geoffrey Molyneux’s review, but he has
covered this recording in such professional detail, as usual, that there is
very little for me to add. I’m by no means a Chopin expert but I enjoyed this
recording as much as he did, even by comparison with Murray Perahia (Sony 88843062432,
6 CDs, budget price – review
– review)
and, I would add, my other benchmark, Maurizio Pollini (DG Originals 4793768,
mid-price, or E4630512, with Ballades (Zimerman), Sonata No.2 (Ugorski),
etc., download only). It is possible still to purchase the Perahia recording
separately as a download but the whole 6-CD set costs little more: for example,
in lossless sound from Qobuz, the separate album costs £10.29, the
6-disc set only £12.89.
We received the recording for review as web files; I’m not sure at what bit-rate.
I also listened to the streamed version from Qobuz and the small reservations
about recording balance remain, even as heard from there. The Arabesque web-site
gives a link to Amazon (US) where the album can be downloaded in mp3 for $8.99
but Amazon downloads tend to be at no better than 256 kb/s, so UK and European
readers should be better advised to sample and purchase in lossless sound from
Qobuz for the same
price (£7.99) that Amazon UK charge for mp3. Qobuz subscribers can stream the
whole album before purchase; others can sample. No-one offers the booklet,
which leaves me unable to give a recording date.
Brian Wilson
Details:
Étude Op.10/1 in C [2:07]
Étude Op.10/2 in a minor [1:36]
Étude Op.10/3 in E [4:44]
Étude Op.10/4 in c sharp minor [2:03]
Étude Op.10/5 in G flat [1:45]
Étude Op.10/6 in e flat minor [3:32]
Étude Op.10/7 in C [1:43]
Étude Op.10/8 in F [3:37]
Étude Op.10/9 in f minor [2:27]
Étude Op.10/10 in A flat [2:46]
Étude Op.10/11 in E flat [3:00]
Étude Op.10/12 in c minor [2:56]
Étude Op.25/1 in A flat [3:04]
Étude Op.25/2 in f minor [1:43]
Étude Op.25/3 in F [2:09]
Étude Op.25/4 in a minor [1:59]
Étude Op.25/5 in e minor [3:46]
Étude Op.25/6 in g sharp minor [2:24]
Étude Op.25/7 in c sharp minor [6:14]
Étude Op.25/8 in D flat [1:14]
Étude Op.25/9 in G flat [1:05]
Étude Op.25/10 in b minor [1:41]
Étude Op.25/11 in a minor [3:58]
Étude Op.25/12 in c minor [2:53]
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