Franz LISZT (1811 - 1886)
12 Etudes d'exécution transcendante, S.139:-
No.1 Prélude (Presto) [0:53]
No.2 Molto vivace [2:18]
No.3 Paysage (Poco adagio) [5:15]
No.4 Mazeppa (Presto) [7:45]
No.5 Feux follets (Allegretto) [3:56]
No.6 Vision (Lento) [6:27]
No.7 Eroica (Allegro) [5:06]
No.8 Wilde Jagd (Presto furioso) [5:26]
No.9 Ricordanza (Andantino) [10:13]
No.10 Allegro agitato molto [4:29]
No.11 Harmonies du soir (Andantino) [8:42]
No.12 Chasse neige (Andante con moto) [5:38]
Alice Sara Ott (piano)
rec. Friedrich-Ebert-Halle Harburg, Hamburg, June 2008, Stereo, DDD
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 8362 [66:09]
I can’t help the feeling that Deutsche Grammophon have been keeping their
young new signing Alice Sara Ott from us. For reasons best known to themselves,
the label released this, her debut disc, in a number of countries in 2008, but
held back in the UK until she had a second recording under her belt - of Chopin
waltzes (DG 00289 477 8095). The double-whammy debut approach seems to
have backfired a little, with many critics finding the Chopin too dry and emotionless
and then projecting those criticisms, albeit in a milder form, onto the Liszt.
But whatever the machinations by which this CD has reached us, it is
a remarkable debut. Let’s not forget that the idea of a young pianist debuting
on DG at all is a fairly recent innovation; it wasn’t long ago that their
roster was made up exclusively of senior figures of piano royalty. And this newfound
spirit of innovation stretches to the repertoire too. Most pianists’ debut
discs consist of a mixed programme, where the major work is almost invariably
Rachmaninov. Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes are
a daring choice from a number of perspectives. In terms of technical difficulty,
they trump pretty much anything by Rachmaninov. They also call for more interpretive
input from the pianist, more poetry, more ... well, in a word, transcendence.
Listening to the disc, I can understand why some have found Ott’s
Chopin wanting. Her technical skill is mind-blowing, and it is clear that control
is a fundamental dimension to her pianistic persona. Her fingers are always in
the right place at the right time, and her touch is both evenly graduated and
crystal clear. Personally, I consider all these attributes to be sterling pianistic
virtues, but I can understand how Chopin could sound sterile to some ears when
played like this.
Liszt is a different story. His poetry is more intrinsic, more integral
to his virtuosic demands. In fact, the Transcendental Etudes are
a very sensible choice for introducing a pianist to the world stage. They amount
to a compendium of the moods, textures and styles current in the early history
of the modern piano. Surprisingly, perhaps, given her delicate frame, Ott excels
in the louder, heavier movements, the Preludio no.1,
for example, and Mazeppa no.4. There
is a sheer physical force behind her playing in these movements, which when combined
with her technical precision make for an aurally arresting effect. And her confidence
belies her age - she was 18/19 when this was recorded - holding back in the build-up
to the main Mazeppa theme in a way that
speaks of a deep trust in her own musical instincts. She has an elegant legato,
even in chronically note-heavy passages such as in the opening of Feux
follets, where she finds a lightness that few of her seniors
could match.
The control that makes the dramatic passages work can turn into undue
restraint in the quieter ones. No. 3 Paysage has
all the clarity and translucence of its more rowdy neighbours, but the precision
of the phrasing and dynamic shaping make the result a little foursquare. And
again with the 9th Ricordanza,
its evenly arpeggiated opening chords speak of immaculate precision, but also
of a reluctance to let go and allow the music to sing.
The last etude Chasse-neige is
the exception among the quieter numbers. The clarity with which the legato melody
is articulated across the top of the complex accompaniment is ideal. It is a
great way to close both the set and the recording. Liszt balances his technical
and lyrical demands in a way that elegantly brings t culmination a set that has
veered between the two. And that middle ground between the dramatic and the intimate
is exactly where Ott excels, her even touch, precisely graduated dynamics and
fluid legato, all supported by some real muscle in the left-hand bass. As I mentioned,
her second disc has met with mixed reviews, but her third is going to include
Liszt’s 1st Concerto, and
if she plays it like this, it could be something really special.
Gavin Dixon