Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Arabeske in C major, Op. 18 (1839) [6:46]
Kreisleriana, Op.16 (1838, rev. 1850) [31:10]
Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Préludes, Book 1 (1909-1910) [39:23]
Youri Egorov (piano)
rec. live, 16 November 1983, Het Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, Amsterdam
TROS radio recording/previously unreleased
DEHAAN RECORDS WH001 [77:19]
In 1976, after a success at the Queen Elizabeth International
Competition in Brussels, Youri Egorov defected to the West. A year later he
became a Dutch citizen. At around the same time in May 1977 he took part in
the Van Cliburn Competition in Texas, but didn’t reach the finals. The
audience were so impressed with his playing that they collected $10,000 to
give him – the cash prize awarded the winner, Steven de Groote. This
largesse helped finance his New York debut, which took place in January 1978
at Alice Tully Hall. Even at this early stage in his career, the esteemed
critic of The New York Times, Harold C. Schonberg, observed that the pianist
‘has all the ingredients for success’. As far as playing styles
are concerned, comparisons have been drawn between the Russian pianist and
the Romanian Dinu Lipatti. It hasn’t escaped notice that both men performed
their final concerts at the age of 33, each aware of the severity of their
final illnesses. Both had only months to live. Youri Egorov died in April
1988 at the age of 34.
This CD contains a previously unreleased live radio recording the pianist
made at the Concertgebouw on 16 November 1983, re-mastered and edited from
original analogue master reel-to-reel tapes. Wim de Haan, webmaster of the
Youri Egorov website, has kindly made this valuable document available. It
is issued as one of a 100 copy limited edition. Mr. de Haan was also responsible
for supplying First Hand Records with the tapes for "The 1980 Ambassador
Auditorium Recital, Pasadena, CA", which I reviewed earlier in the year
(review),
and the 1978 recital from the same venue (review).
A 2 CD set of radio recordings from Amsterdam radio, dated 1974-1987, has
also been released by the Dutch label Et’Cetera (KTC1520) this year,
which I also reviewed.
Commercial equivalents of all three works can be found in a 7-CD set "Youri
Egorov: The Master Pianist" recorded between 1978 and 1985 on Warner
Classics. Generally speaking, broadcasts and live airings, ‘warts and
all’, seem to afford more spontaneity and electricity, as the artists
respond to the live event. I feel that this is the case here, and these alternatives,
caught on the wing, provide valuable additions to the pianist’s discography.
Schumann’s Arabeske is a glowing, graceful and introspective account.
Tender, ardent and beguiling are qualities that spring to mind, with the short
central section, by contrast, more passionate and potent. In Kreisleriana,
Egorov’s impressive virtuosity is fully in synch with the work’s
formidable demands. Äußerst bewegt, which opens the cycle, is
played with such passion and energy that it almost takes your breath away.
In Sehr innig und nicht zu rasch, this live performance is more free-flowing
than the studio version, which seems overly cautious in comparison. I’m
particularly drawn to the intimacy he brings to Sehr langsam, made
all the more seductive by his delicate voicing of the chords in the opening
section, and the luminous quality of the arpeggios mid-way through. There’s
a touch of quirky humour in Sehr lebhaft and, by contrast, sadness
and regret in the slow movement that follows. Egorov’s dazzling Sehr
rasch is highly charged, and the raptly intense final movement sets the
seal on a performance of devotional intensity, strikingly imaginative insights
and exceptional appeal.
The EMI studio recording of Debussy’s Préludes Book 1 was taped by the
pianist in May and November of 1983 at the Abbey Road Studios, London. This
live radio performance of 16 November is, understandably, interpretively identical,
but the sound is more immediate. Egorov’s Debussy is refined, with every
nuance and inflection instinctively contoured. Dynamics are well graded, and
the sensitive application of the pedal invests his playing with a myriad colours
and tonal hues, as well as ensuring clarity of texture. Fleet of foot and
ethereal, Le vent dans la plaine truly evokes the wind on the plain,
with Les collines d’Anacapri exotically tinted. La Cathédrale
engloutie has a haunting quality, with the climax suitably powerful and
majestic. La danse de Puck is playful and light-hearted as is Minstrels,
which is rhythmically subtle. Whilst the performance doesn’t displace
my favourite versions by Michelangeli and Zimerman, Egorov’s performance
is utterly convincing and deeply rewarding.
Wim de Haan’s expert re-mastering injects new life into this recording.
The piano sound is warm but bright, with an attractive bloom, and the Concertgebouw
acoustic offers just the right amount of resonance. Occasionally the audience
can be heard in the quieter sections with the odd bronchial interjection,
but they are in no way intrusive. The CD is housed in an attractive digipak
but there is no accompanying documentation. It is a limited edition, with
only 100 copies available, so you will have to be quick!
With playing of this calibre, one can only lament that Youri Egorov left us
far too early.
Stephen Greenbank
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