Rachmaninov ... Ashkenazy
... Decca ... words that somehow go
together. This team made recordings
of piano concertos, symphonies and preludes
that are essential to my collection.
But that was all quite a long time ago.
Life has moved on and, although it seems
hard to believe, Ashkenazy is now in
his late sixties. If my memory is correct,
he was once an exclusive artist for
Decca but most of his recent recordings
have been on other labels. I count him
as probably the greatest pianist I have
heard perform live (this was over twenty-five
years ago) but since then he seems to
have spent more time on the rostrum.
It is notable that this disc was made
over a period of nearly two years.
Having returned to
some of his roots, it is good that Ashkenazy
is not for mere re-runs. He has clearly
kept his technique in tip-top condition
but what would be the point of more
piano concertos when he has already
recorded them every which way (including
as conductor)? Instead we get some relatively
rarely recorded early Rachmaninov played
most affectingly. In general this is
not barnstorming stuff. Instead it is
full of fantasy and pointers towards
the later solo piano masterworks; music
to relax with which nevertheless has
a challenging edge.
The main work on the
disc is the set of six Moments musicaux.
These were written in 1896, not long
before the disastrous premiere of the
First Symphony. Presumably Rachmaninov’s
foray into this genre was inspired by
Schubert and the outcome deserves to
rank alongside his Moments. These
are works that both stand alone and
make a satisfactory cycle. The opening
Andantino in B flat minor is the longest
of the set and contains a rich variety
of moods. Only in the fourth piece does
Rachmaninov seriously up the tempo (to
Presto) and the first four are firmly
rooted in minor keys. The fifth is marked
adagio and serenely in the key of D
flat. The final Moment is marked
Maestoso and in C major but is not as
triumphal as that might sound.
The Morceaux de
fantasie is a set of five pieces
which again can equally be taken singly
or swallowed whole. One of them is amongst
Rachmaninov’s best known works – the
Prelude in C# minor Op.3 No 2 of 1892.
The composer later returned to the genre
and, like Chopin before him, produced
one per key - 24 in total but in "sets"
of one, ten and thirteen! Hearing it
sitting between the opening Élégie
and Mélodie is rather
different to when it is played as the
first of a series of preludes. Ashkenazy
clearly recognizes this and his performance
is lighter and quicker, by over half
a minute, than in his 1975 complete
recordings of the preludes (now on Decca
Legends). The series concludes with
the playful Polichinelle in F#
minor and a Serenade in B flat
minor.
Finally, there are
four short single pieces, two of which
are song transcriptions and one of which
is a posthumously published extraneous
prelude. This prelude and Fragments
were composed in the aftermath of the
1917 Russian Revolution as Rachmaninov
was in the process of fleeing. The last
piece, Vocalise, is better known
in various other guises but the transcription
for solo piano works well and provides
a fittingly ravishing conclusion to
the disc.
There is not much to
say about Ashenkazy’s playing - he still
has few peers in Rachmaninov. There
are occasional bits of added vocalise
and not only in the final piece. I have
never been aware of this on Ashkenazy’s
discs before and don’t know whether
it is a new departure or perhaps only
the latest recording techniques can
pick it up. It bothered me little since
it is very faint and more in tune than
that of some other crooners (e.g. Sir
Colin Davis).
The disc is nicely
presented and there is a useful essay
on the music by Geoffrey Norris but
only pictures of Ashkenazy. An update
on the career of this magisterial musician
would have been welcome. The recorded
sound is truly wonderful. This is a
hybrid SACD with surround capability
if you have the equipment but the stereo
is so natural that I wasn’t gnashing
my teeth because I don’t have such facilities.
Unmissable.
Patrick C Waller
Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) 
DECCA
475 619-8 [62:45]
