If not a great reading
of the Rachmaninov Second Concerto,
this 1957 recording by Felicja Blumental
is nevertheless highly enjoyable, full
of zest and character and certainly
well worth hearing. She is usually described
as a ‘Brazilian’ pianist, presumably
because she eventually made that country
her home. She was born, however, in
Warsaw in 1908, and died in Tel Aviv
in 1991. Blumental was an independent-minded
musician, who deliberately searched
for neglected or out-of-the-way repertoire,
and had a number of works written for
her by modern composers.
Her approach to the
Rachmaninov is fresh, personally conceived,
and lacking those mannerisms which tend
to accumulate in performances of ‘warhorse’
concertos rather like barnacles on the
hull of an old boat. Though her playing
seems quite limited in dynamic and expressive
range (always allowing for the shortcomings
of the recording), there is a great
freshness and integrity here, as well
as unerring musicianship. The main theme
in the finale begins more steadily than
we are perhaps used to, yet this allows
for a clarity in the cascades of arpeggios
with which the composer surrounds his
basically simple theme. The great second
subject, on the other hand, is taken
at a flowing speed, which emphasises
its strength rather than indulging its
romantic qualities too greatly. The
orchestral playing is quite something;
I was enraptured by the lovely woodwind
in the slow movement, and the strings
play with ravishing tone when required,
too.
The Hummel piece is
a light-hearted trifle which needn’t
detain us for too long, except to welcome
it to the catalogue, and to observe
that the folk-theme that it is based
on doesn’t sound in the least bit Russian
to me – more Polish or Hungarian. Again,
in addition to Blumental’s stylish playing,
the orchestral contribution is of a
very high standard.
The recordings are
typical of their time, but perfectly
acceptable, and have certainly achieved
a satisfactory balance between soloist
and orchestra.
Gwyn Parry-Jones
Felicja Blumental, piano 