Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
6 Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 102 (1944) [22:25]
Kirill ZABOROV (b. 1970)
Variations on an original melody by Shostakovich, Song of the Counterplan [6:32] Variations for Piano, ‘Quattrocento’
[7:52]
Apparitions
[10:14]
Suite entrelacs
[6:22]
Sergei PROKOFIEV
4 Pieces, Op. 4 (1908, rev. 1910-1912) [9:31]
Jenny Lin (piano)
rec. 10-12 November 2015, Sono Luminus Studios, Boyce, Virginia, USA
Reviewed as a 24/192 download from
eClassical
Pdf booklet included
STEINWAY & SONS STNS 30055
[62:56]
The Taiwanese-American pianist Jenny Lin has her fans at MusicWeb; in 2000
Colin Clarke welcomed her BIS collection,
Chinoiserie,
and Brian Reinhart was much heartened by
Get Happy,
an album of show tunes she recorded for Steinway in 2012. In between
Lin’s shown herself to be quite versatile, encompassing the music of
Federico Mompou (Steinway STNS 30004) and Dmitri Shostakovich (Hänssler
98.530). She may be new to me, but I’ve recently become acquainted with the
Steinway label through Stewart Goodyear’s
Nutcracker
arrangement and Franz Liszt’s opera and song transcriptions with Gábor
Farkas.
As for this recording, it’s made on their behalf by Sono Luminus, at their
studios in Boyce, Virginia. The team, which includes Dan Merceruio, Daniel
Shores and David Angell, did a splendid job on the Nutcracker; their
most recent work for SL – Recurrence, the first in a projected
series with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and pianist Lara Downes’s
America Again
– is top-notch, too. The wild card here is the composer and pianiste de jazz Kirill Zaborov. Born in Minsk in 1970, but
now resident in France, he writes in the booklet that his music is
‘partially inspired by [the] 20th-century Russian tradition’. The pieces
played here date from 2011/12.
In those same notes Zaborov insists Prokofiev’s Op. 4 reflects political
tensions in Russia at the time. That may be debatable, but what’s very
clear is the music’s startling and provocative break with the past. Lin
certainly emphasises the restless angularity of Prokofiev’s writing, its
uncompromising nature expressed in glittering figures in the right hand and
pounding ones in the left. This is a superb performance, precisely
articulated and fearlessly scaled, especially in the fiendish Suggestion diabolque. As expected, the recording copes well with
these challenging dynamics. Happily, there’s no added edge or hardness to
the sound either.
That energy and unflinching accuracy also informs Lin’s approach to the Cinderella transcriptions. That said, she can be gentle and
affectionate too – take the start of the Waltz (Cinderella and the Prince), for instance – modulating to something
stronger and more declamatory when required. In short, nothing seems to
faze this pianist, who really does have a feel for these delectable tunes;
indeed, her playing is a reminder – if it were needed – that Cinderella is one of Prokofiev’s most inventive scores. I was very
taken with the pellucidity and point of Cinderella’s Variations and The Quarrel, the low comedy of the latter particularly well caught.
Not surprisingly, the complex interplay of left and right hands in Cinderella’s Departure for the Ball holds no terrors for Lin, who’s
so easeful at this point. Her control of phrase and colour is exemplary too
– just sample the Pas-du-chale – and the mix of wistful charm and
quiet exultation in the Amoroso is a joy to hear. And I do like the
way the final note is allowed to decay, without a sudden switch to ‘digital
silence’. The problem, of course, is that music of such quality sets the
bar dauntingly high for Zaborov.
The first piece is a set of variations based on the title song that
Shostakovich composed for the 1932 Soviet film Counterplan. The
connection with Zaborov’s homeland doesn’t end there; as he points out, the
lyrics were written by his maternal grandfather, the poet Boris Kornilov.
These jewelled fragments – most last for half a minute or so – have
admirable clarity and shape, not to mention plenty of variety. Then again,
one would expect nothing less from the pen of a man who’s also a jazz
pianist.
According to Zaborov, his 9 Variations for Piano was inspired by his
first visit to Florence, which he describes as ‘the cradle of the
Renaissance’. There’s a restrained floridity to the writing that seems apt,
with moments of quiet reflection in between. As ever, Lin is very much in
control of her material, bringing out every flourish and curlicue. This is
tasty fare, with just enough flavour to tickle one’s palate. The detailed,
naturally balanced piano sound adds to the relaxed, unassuming appeal of
the piece.
Any gripes? Yes, the very poor translation – from French – of Zaborov’s
liner-notes. His frankly nonsensical comments about the 10 Apparitions are a case in point. Really, there’s no excuse for
such sloppiness in a premium product such as this. That aside, the music is
pleasant, if not memorable. In fact, there are times when it threatens to
outstay its welcome. As for the three-movement Suite entrelacs,
‘inspired by baroque structures’, it combines mobility with newfound weight
and amplitude. Even then, it’s Lin’s playing, rather than the music itself,
that kept me listening to the end.
They say the best way to divert attention from a mediocre painting is to
give it an eye-catching frame. I’m certainly not suggesting
Zaborov’s work is anything less than accomplished, just that it’s apt to
pale when enclosed by music of such range and sophistication. Still, having
at one’s disposal a pianist of Lin’s calibre ensures the canvas is
displayed to maximum advantage. Few contemporary composers are so
fortunate.
Intelligent and imaginative music-making, coupled with first-rate sound; a
shame about the booklet, though.
Dan Morgan
