The English pianist Solomon was born Solomon Cutner
in the East End of London in 1902. He was extremely precocious, first
appearing in public at eight years old, but tragically, his career ended
early too, following a stroke at the age of fifty-seven. He died in
1988.
Solomon is remembered as a pianist of exceptional sensitivity
and finesse, and these qualities are very much in evidence on this disc.
Both in the Tchaikovsky concerto and the solo recital coupled with it
the player avoids all showiness for its own sake; virtuosity is there
in plenty, but always at the service of the piece (and of the composer)
and never simply to demonstrate the player’s technical skills.
When a pianist seeks to show off he usually does so
in respect of rapidity and power. Don’t make the mistake, then, in thinking
that these elements are in short supply here. The opening chords of
the Tchaikovsky are as massive and imposing as any you are likely to
hear. The tempo chosen keeps the music moving purposefully forward,
and indeed this is a characteristic of the interpretation as a whole.
The rest of this first movement is full of a kind of febrile energy,
with little hanging around, and the playing is at times quite impulsive.
Listen to the passage around 11.30 in the first movement as an example
of this, but equally, take in the passage around 6.00 – where the score
is marked p dolce e molto espress (quietly, sweetly and very
expressively) – as an example of the soloist’s way with quite another
kind of music. One of the many marvellous things about Solomon’s playing
is the impression he gives of a great musician totally at the service
of the composer. This is emphatically Tchaikovsky’s concerto, not Solomon’s.
It’s true that in one or two places the thundering octaves are not totally
fallible and in more modern recording circumstances might have been
retaken, but although this playing is a world away from that of Horowitz,
for example, the listener really has no worries for the soloist’s technical
command. The finale is as exciting as in any performance I’ve heard,
but it’s the slow movement which is the real revelation. The outer sections
are beautifully poised with a simplicity of utterance rarely encountered,
but the central, faster section is played with a quite extraordinary
lightness of touch. Listening to this you would never think that the
sound was produced by hammers striking strings. And the purpose of this
approach is emphatically not to demonstrate how fast the pianist can
get round the notes. It’s perhaps at this point that I should draw attention
to the accompaniment which is beautifully moulded and very well played
by the Hallé. One gets the impression, too, that Hamilton Harty
was completely convinced and at one with the soloist’s reading of the
work.
When there are so many versions available of standard
works such as this I’m not always convinced that the playing of the
older masters sufficiently compensates for the antiquated sound. Mark
Obert-Thorn’s restoration is marvellous, however, and in any case I’m
happy to say that with this disc I have at last encountered that phenomenon
much evoked among lovers of historical recordings, whereby the playing
makes you forget, at least for the duration of the disc, the quality
of the sound.
For the Tchaikovsky alone, then, I would strongly recommend
this inexpensive disc. However, it comes with a forty-two minute recital
of Liszt and Chopin solo pieces, including one or two chosen from among
the best known works. Liszt’s Etude "La Leggierezza" is most
brilliantly played in a way which magnificently brings out the music’s
nature reflected in the title. If Liszt’s March and Chopin’s military
music seem a little under-characterised at first the suspicion soon
passes on subsequent hearings when it becomes plain that the conception
of the pieces is on a totally different level of subtlety. Chopin’s
Etude Op. 10/8 is another example of fast and brilliant playing which
manages to draw attention to the composer’s achievement rather than
to Solomon himself.
This is playing of remarkable accomplishment which
typifies the stereotype of the British way of doing things as seen from
the Continent: serious, understated, refined, purposeful, bringing about
a result which by its nature tends to conceal the required mastery of
means.
William Hedley
Solomon, piano