Saudades
Romain Nosbaum (piano)
rec. 2019, Kulturzentrum Immanuel, Wuppertal, Germany
Booklet notes in German and English
ARS PRODUKTION ARS38287 SACD [62:40]
Saudade (or saudades in its plural form) is a Portuguese word very difficult to translate. It expresses different feelings all combined in this one single word, which many think defines the very essence of the collective Portuguese soul. It is a mixture of nostalgia, hope, passion, sadness, longing and melancholy, as well as deeply missing someone or something. The Portuguese often use it in their daily language when they miss a dear person who is far away or when they mourn a friend/family member who has died. It can be nostalgia for a wonderful experience in one’s past or longing for a place – as for example one’s home country when one is living abroad, or also an intense wish for some sort of event that would bring a better future to the collective or the individual. Portuguese poets often employ the word saudade as a deep, intense longing for the beauty of romantic feelings and fulfilled passion. It can express one’s torture and sadness for the loss of someone or something, as well as the longing for a person, a place or an experience and simultaneously the hope that such a longing will eventually be fulfilled. I have yet to find a suitable translation for the word saudade in the languages I’ve studied. Many linguists say it’s unique to Portuguese and it may well be. If true, it does make it a rather special kind of word.
Romain Nosbaum is a Swiss-born pianist and, as stated in his bio, an individualist among the pianists of his generation. We are also told that, ‘Without airs and graces, but with modesty and passionate devotion, he is solely focused on music. Both the grand gesture and sheer brilliancy have no meaning to him – instead, his playing stands out through intelligence, subtle individuality and technical perfection.’ This bold statement doesn’t become immediately obvious but the more you listen to this album, Saudades, the more you realise it’s true. On the introduction he wrote to the CD, Nosbaum points out that for him, making music means to go on journeys and to break horizons and also, among other things, that the selection of works on this CD is not coincidental; each piece relating to the word Saudades in one way or other. I would agree to a certain extent but I must say that the recital is not exactly what I was expecting. To begin with, for a CD entitled Saudades – a word so Portuguese that’s nearly impossible to translate adequately – there’s a surprising absence of Portuguese composers. I had expected more but, apart from the word of the title, Portugal is represented by only one composer: Luisa Sobral. She has been known for some time among her fellow Portuguese but outside of the country, she only became a name in 2016 at the Eurovision Song Contest of all things. She composed the song, representing Portugal in that year, entitled Amar por nós dois, sung by her brother and that won the Contest for Portugal the first time ever.
Sobral’s piece is here arranged for solo piano by Italian pianist and composer, Mercuzio. The arrangement is very pleasing. Nosbaum’s interpretation is lyrical and rather expressive of saudades, as it should be, especially in the right hand where he successfully “mimics” the voice. However, personally I prefer the original, written for orchestra and voice, beautifully sung by Luisa Sobral’s brother, Salvador, owner of a smooth, warm, rather sad and nostalgic voice. Perfect to express the sentiment saudade.
The other pieces in this CD are either by Spanish or Latin American composers, including Brazil. I would partially agree with Nosbaum when he says that the works he selected were not coincidental; each piece relating to the word Saudades. I said that I partially agree because on some works the saudade sentiment is easily identifiable, on others is arguably not there. The two pieces by Enrique Granados that open the recital, are very evocative of the word and with heartfelt sentiment, especially the first – Quejas ó la Maja y el Ruiseñor from Granados’s marvellous work Goyescas. I had difficulty detecting any feelings of saudade in the pieces by Albéniz, de Falla or Ginastera, however pleasing the music is. Carlos Guastavino’s Sonatina (in three movements) on the other hand is full of it, as is Villa-Lobos’s Chôros N. 5 and Camargo Guarnieri’s Ponteio N. 49. Ernesto Nazareth’s Odeon is a lively, charming short piece that, in my view, has little saudade and sounded almost like ragtime from the pen of Scott Joplin. Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona’s three offerings are to my mind among the best in the CD, not only because they definitely relate to the sentiment of saudade but because of its Cuban elements and rhythm. My favourite was La Comparsa (from Danzas Afrocubanas N. 6) – a sheer delight from beginning to end and a hard to resist invitation to dance.
Although Brazil was once a Portuguese colony and it shares its language with Portugal, I don’t believe there is much affinity between the music from Brazil and the music from Portugal. The rhythms, themes and influences are very different. Additionally, the collective temperament of the Portuguese is more introspective, quieter and to a certain extent fatalistic – clearly expressed in not only the word saudade but also in Portugal’s national song fado (now Unesco World Heritage). Hence I was a little disappointed that in a recital under the title of Saudades most of the composers are Brazilian, Spanish or Latin American. As mentioned, Luisa Sobral is the only Portuguese composer. She is excellent and representative of a modern generation of composers but to my mind not enough for a recital compiled under a very Portuguese topic.
Having said all that, I think Romain Nosbaum does an excellent job with this CD, creating an attractive, appealing recital to listen at almost any time when one wishes to wind down. He has an excellent technique and his execution is precise though he doesn’t allow for this to take centre stage in his performance. The CD appears to have been a labour of love for him and an affectionate declaration to ‘Mediterranean music’, as he puts it. His delivery of all pieces is well balanced between emotion and technique, leading me to think he has a rather classical approach to the instrument.
The sound, as expected from an SACD, is outstanding and crystal clear. I have SACD equipment so that is how it sounded to me but I have no idea whether the quality will be the same on a normal stereo appliance. The accompanying booklet is not very extensive but makes for an interesting read with a personal introduction by Nosbaum, followed by notes about each composer and their respective pieces plus a brief biography of the pianist – all in German and English.
To summarise, I enjoyed this CD; found it pleasant and relaxing. If you, like me, happened to have been born and grown up in Portugal, this recital will probably be slightly disappointing, as I explained above. On the other hand, if you’re not Portuguese and have no connection to the country or its people, this
recording is rather interesting, captivating and possibly a splash of sunshine on one of the many dark, grey, rainy days of winter.
Margarida Mota-Bull
Margarida writes more than just reviews, check it online at Flowingprose.com
Contents
Enrique GRANADOS (1867-1916)
Quejas ó la Maja y el Ruiseñor (Goyescas) (1914-16) [5:50]
Oriental (Danza española) (1892-1900) [5:34]
Manuel de FALLA (1876-1946)
Canción (3 obras desconocidas) (1900) [2:14]
Isaac ALBÉNIZ (1860-1909)
Asturias (Suite española) (1886) [6:01]
Alberto GINASTERA (1916-1983)
Danza de la moza donosa (Danzas Argentinas) (1937) [4:01]
Carlos GUASTAVINO (1912-2000)
Sonatina (1945) [9:48]
Heitor VILLA-LOBOS (1887-1959)
Chôros N° 5 (Alma Brasileira) (1925) [5:19]
Oscar Lorenzo FERNÁNDEZ (1887-1948)
Moda (Suite brasileira) (1938) [1:59]
Camargo GUARNIERI (1907-1993)
Ponteio (Homenagem a Scriabin) (1958-59) [1:54]
Ernesto NAZARETH (1863-1934]
Odéon (Tango brasileiro) (1910) [2:52]
Ernesto LECUONA (1895-1963)
La 32 (7 Danzas Cubanas Tipicas, No. 6) (1920-35) [3:18]
Cordoba (Andalucía) (1919-27) [3:17]
La Comparsa (1912) [2:24]
Ignacio CERVANTES (1847-1905)
Adios a Cuba (Danzas cubanas) (1895) [2:01]
Luísa SOBRAL (b. 1987)
Amar pelos dois (arr. for piano by Mercuzio) (2016) [3:58]
Marlos NOBRE (b. 1939)
Frevo (1977-85) [1:53]
