This is a coupling
that makes considerable sense and has
in fact been pursued before, notably
by Marc-André Hamelin on a 1999
Hyperion disc (CDA66996) though he added
the Humoresken Op.20. In fact this Warner
was recorded before the Hyperion, in
1994, and has lain in the vaults for
a decade; I’m not aware of any previous
release. It’s not been possible for
me to make the obvious comparison with
that Hyperion though I gravely doubt
whether Latimer could really challenge
Hamelin, given some limitations in performance
exposed here.
It takes a rhetorician
of considerable dynamism and skill to
make something meaningful of the Bach
variations and fugue. After the promising
early material the density and unrelieved
doggedness of much of the writing can
communicate itself only too vividly.
The monstrous Fugue, once considered
a minefield, is less so now though it’s
still implacable and still takes plenty
of playing. In many respects Latimer
should better be judged by the companion
Telemann variations, an altogether lighter
and more fleet work. In the Bach he
seems static. Comparison with Alexander
Slobodyanik, the Russian pianist of
romantic affiliations, shows a gulf
between them. Latimer is very matter
of fact and clipped and tends to elide
dynamics. Phrase endings tend to come
to a stop as well, sapping forward movement
and tension whilst Slobodyanik rises
to the crests of phrases and uses space
to create a sense of direction and anticipation.
The Telemann sounds somewhat more convincing
and I enjoyed his way with the left
hand voicings in variation II though
surely the scherzando, variation III
could be pointed more wittily and the
trills elsewhere more even. But he’s
unable to convince me that XI, the quasi
adagio, and part of the expressive heart
of the variations, is anything other
than dutiful, something that applies
equally I’m afraid to XV and XVI, both
slow variations.
The sound is good,
the notes are by Latimer (best to ignore
the braggadocio biography of the pianist)
and the cover art is arresting. The
music and performances, unfortunately,
less so.
Jonathan Woolf
Mark Latimer (piano) 
