Fryderyk CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Etudes, Op. 10 (1829-32) [28:52]
Etudes, Op. 25 (1832-36) [31:27]
Trois Nouvelles Etudes (1839) [6:04]
Radoslav Kvapil (piano)
rec. 1997 (no location given)
RUSSIAN COMPACT DISC RCD30109 [66:23]
Firstly, and most importantly, this set of Chopin Etudes
is magnificently played and hearing them has reinforced by intense love
of Chopin. If I may be forgiven for personal reminiscing, I recall my
grandfather playing Chopin with great feeling when I was seven and loved
his Chopin LP by Dinu Lipatti. The third Etude, in E major Op.10 No.3
was used as the soundtrack for a sixties American series on the Golden
age of silent comedy and was also hummed by my father-in-law. This set
was recorded by Radoslav Kvapil in 1997 and re-mastered in 2005.
Kvapil (b. 15 March 1934) is an internationally acclaimed Czech pianist
born in Brno. At the end of the 20th century, he devoted his concert
programmes to works by Chopin, particularly in the Chopin International
Piano Festival in Nohant. On 21 October 2016 he gave a recital of Beethoven,
Chopin, Dvořák, Janáček and Martinů at St Mary's
parish church in Hay-on-Wye. I found an article in “The Hay-on-Wye
Times” where it stated that the world’s top Czech pianist
has said he would shrug off the cool temperatures inside the Church
to help raise the £30,000 needed for a new boiler and heating system.
So the chair of St Mary’s Music Committee, John Funnell, who had
known Kvapil for nearly 40 years, was overjoyed when this “very
exciting celebrity” accepted his invitation to give a recital.
It must have been quite an occasion for the audience of 160 or so.
Widely known as expert performer of Czech piano music, Kvapil has recorded
numerous discs of works by Dvořák, Smetana, Martinů, Janáček,
Voříšek, Novák and Suk. I have in my collection his acclaimed
recording of Martinů on Regis
and noted that the reviewer had heard a broadcast in the early 1970s
of the Dvořák Piano Concerto in which Kvapil was soloist. Between
1993 and 1996 he recorded for Unicorn eight CDs to form an Anthology
of Czech Music. There were one each for Dvořák, Martinů,
Vorisek, Fibich, Janáček and Suk as well as two for Smetana. All
were reissued at bargain price by Regis initially and now some are issued
separately by Alto (Fibich, Dvorak, Janacek, Smetana including one box
now (ALC 4005).
The playing throughout belies any thought of Chopin as an insipid composer.
There’s delicacy but also great force and the Polish spirit comes
through. I would especially mention the 4th and 12th
Etudes from the First Set, the final two from Opus 25 and the Trois
Nouvelles Etudes which were not so well known to me. The final one in
D Flat major brings the recital to an apt close. My comparison was interesting
as I found Ashkenazy slightly self-regarding with the 3rd
Etude, compared with Kvapil, although it’s a magnificent achievement.
Jonathan Woolf thought highly of Ashkenazy’s earlier recording
(Melodiya),
and I sampled from this and liked it considerably although he acknowledged
the greater flexibility of a 1975 recording that I have in a large 50
Years on Decca set; a set which contains many landmark recordings. Overall,
I felt that Kvapil can compete with any Chopin players and I’ll
certainly look out for other recordings (there are three on the Musical
Concepts label). I also hope that he may pay another visit to the UK.
The disc has detailed notes on the music and the performer.
At a time when music has such power to stimulate, relax and help well-being,
I found this CD a sheer joy and am delighted to have heard it.
David R Dunsmore
