Boris Berezovsky - The Teldec Recordings
Boris Berezovsky (piano)
rec. 1991-2006
Full contents list at end of review
TELDEC 2564 66468-4 [10 CDs: 68:16 + 54:32 + 62:10 + 74:03 + 60:34
+ 62:07 + 66:31 + 59:04 + 72:11]
My one Boris Berezovsky anecdote is that I once acted as page-turner at a
recital he gave at the Dr. Anton Philipszaal in The Hague. At the brief pre-concert
preparations there was a dauntingly huge ring-bound work by someone like Medtner.
He took the score, said “of course, we won’t be playing all of this” and after
a brief inspection, unexpectedly ripped out a huge wodge of paper from the
middle. “Don’t worry about any gaps, I know it really…” That’s my kind of
musician – I’ve been a fan ever since.
Berezovsky’s great reputation is well earned, and he is now considered as
one of the most powerful virtuoso pianists of his generation, as well as a
musician with gifts of deep insight and uniquely personal sensitivities. Many
of his recordings have been given the highest awards in Europe, and, like
the back catalogues of other great pianists such as Martha Argerich, the time
for adding a ton of marvels to your collection in one fell and not-too-costly
swoop has never been better.
CD 1
Berezovsky’s Chopin is terrific – his Etudes warmer in expression
but no less impressive than Mauricio Pollini’s classic Deutsche Grammophon
recording of 1975. Berezovsky was only 23 when he made these recordings, but
you wouldn’t take these to be the work of anyone other than in the prime of
their artistic development.
CD 2
The Chopin/Godowski Études disc was Tony Hayward’s ‘Recording of the Month’
(see review),
and this is indeed a staggering performance with that feeling of a unique
and special event. The Chopin Études are well known, and executed
with Berezovsky’s usual panache and musicality. These originals are then followed
by their transcription, Godowski’s treatment as often as not making it sound
as if the single pianist, brilliant and superhuman enough, has suddenly been
transformed into more than one, sometimes a multitude of pianists.
CD 3
This Schumann disc is reviewed here
by Christopher Fifield. I’ve come across some remarkable Schumann recordings
in recent years, and of the Davidsbündlertänze that of Alessandra
Ammara (see review)
has been one of the most special. Berezovsky’s playing is no less expressive
in this work, but isn’t quite as enquiring. Ammara seems to have a personal
connection and narrative attached to every note, whereas Berezovsky is less
deliberately poetic. His is a more overtly spectacular ‘concert-pianist’ view,
but one with plenty of nuance and refined subtleties. The imagination is sparked,
but the shapes are more of woods and glades rather than the complex fragrances
and hidden thorns of an elaborate rose garden. Of the Piano Sonata No.2
in G minor Op.22 it is Angela
Hewitt’s recording I’ve kept closest to hand as a reference. Berezovsky
is again more masculine in his approach, though Hewitt is by no means any
kind of softie. I can hear Berezovsky’s interpretation as an opera for piano
– turbulent drama in Act I, followed by the tenderness of a soliloquy. Comic
relief is palpable in the intermezzo which precedes the final hectic ensemble
in which each character returns to say their piece, the whole tale concluded
in breathless unity, a final magical revelation and betrothals all round.
The Toccata is a showpiece in which Berezovsky is more than merely
impressive, with every inner voice thrown forward with lightness of touch,
and the whole with plenty of shading and transparency through the melee of
notes.
CD 4
There are a few pretty staggering recordings of Liszt’s Études d’exécution
transcendante around, and the names Claudio Arrau and Georges Cziffra
are likely to pop up in any discussion of the complete set. The latter of
these names falls under ‘historical’ recorded quality, and Berezovsky’s recording
has to be one of the best around – squarely confronting even great achievements
such as Leslie Howard’s Hyperion recording as part of their massive complete
set or on CDA66357. The Teldec sound is effectively concert-hall in perspective
though the Hyperion recording is set in an even more resonant acoustic; Howard’s
playing, while terrific, giving the impression of being a bit more pedal-heavy.
His melodic shaping is less convincing to my ears than Berezovsky, who still
manages to sing triumphantly over something impossibly richly scored like
the fourth Mazeppa etude. Transcending the technical demands of these
pieces and creating genuine musical experiences with each is something we
need, and Berezovsky’s playing is breathtakingly audacious as well as full
of colour and imagination. I’ve not always been in love with this repertoire,
but this recording has finally awakened me to its vast potential.
CD 5
This brings us more Liszt, and the two piano concertos. I bow in my lack of
expertise in this repertoire to Michael Cookson, whose review
of the Barenboim/Boulez recording is a rich resource of references. As part
of such a richly rewarding set as this box I feel there is little to complain
about in these recordings, though there are caveats. The piano balance sometimes
drowns out the orchestra and is beyond realistic expectations. Berezovsky
is however more distinguished than the Philharmonia Orchestra in both of these
concertos, the accompaniment for which is very good, but too remote to whip
up much excitement. Berezovsky’s playing is again tremendous: warm and expressive
where it counts, and sharp as a needle with even the most technically demanding
passages. If you are looking for this coupling in a more convincingly rich
and unified picture and as a more expansive counterfoil to the intensity of
the Teldec experience then Arnaldo Cohen and the Sao Paolo orchestra on BIS-SACD-1530
is as good a recording as any, though I will admit that Berezovsky is the
more ‘alpha’ sounding of the two pianists. The Totentanz is excellent
in this recording, grimly dark throughout, and pretty terrifying at the outset.
The bonus track of Schubert’s Wanderer-Fantasie I can take or leave;
Liszt’s vision with orchestra not really being an improvement on the original
piano solo version, at times turning a white-knuckle ride of the imagination
into something really rather corny, though the New York Philharmonic and Kurt
Masur make a convincing enough case.
CD 6
Berezovsky’s vivid sense of drama and contrast suits Mussorgsky’s craggy Night
on the Bare Mountain to the ground. His sense of the piercing chill of
the howling and swirling winds is unerring, keeping a human element within
the elemental experience but without let-up in that sense of danger inherent
in a good performance of the piece. You would expect him to shine in an all-Russian
recital, and the emotional turmoil of Rachmaninov is an assault on even Mussorgsky’s
powerful statement. It’s not all butch power-playing, and the extremes of
contrast in Op. 39 No. 7, Lento in C minor bring moments
of Erik Satie-like simplicity against massive boulders of chords. Anatoly
Liadov is a less familiar name, and the first two of the three Preludes
here are lyrical and tenderly romantic. Medtner’s Fairy Tales are
anything but child-like in aspect, and Berezovsky keeps a stern hold on the
composer’s wonderful harmonic progressions no matter how many notes he takes
to state them. Balakirev’s spectacular Islamey concludes a remarkable
and immensely satisfying recital to which is impossible give real justice
in one paragraph.
CD 7
This represents is another meeting of titans, and you would expect the Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 1 to be something of a highlight of the collection.
Very good it is indeed in parts, though the overall recorded sound is more
warm and woolly than I expected – you keep wanting to turn up the volume to
hear what’s going on, and finding out that this makes little difference. Martha
Argerich’s recording has its own problems (see review),
but with at times dodgy wind intonation and ensemble from the Ural Philharmonic
Orchestra is still ultimately preferable. As a budget alternative I’ve rarely
heard better than Nikolai Demidenko on Hyperion.
It’s good to have the much less well-known Khachaturian Piano Concerto
in D flat major, though the pungency of rhythm at times suffers in that
woolly acoustic picture. Berezovsky’s solo part is urgent and fascinating
and blisteringly intense. It’s when you compare this to the more vibrantly
recorded though impossibly echo-bound Chandos version with Constantine Orbelian
on CHAN8542 that you realise how tremendous Berezovsky’s performance is. By
comparison you find yourself ‘waiting around for something to happen’ with
the Chandos recording. This Teldec version isn’t a perfect recording, but
is certainly a performance very much worth having.
CD 8
Less frequently performed than some of his other piano works but full of fascinating
writing, Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme of Chopin is given a
grand outing here. Opening with a broader statement than Idil Biret on her
fine Naxos recording, 8.554426, Berezovsky is more abstract and poetic, probing
as well as virtuoso. He misses out the 12th and 14th
variations – something which Rachmaninov allows for in the score. The Piano
Sonata No. 1 is also magnificent, symphonic in scale and ambitions, aspects
of the music which Berezovsky reflects in a noble performance. Referring to
Idil Biret again on 8.553003, the Teldec recording obtains more clarity, and
Berezovsky is less free with Rachmaninov’s phrasing and rhythmic integrity,
giving us a greater sense of flow in general. His drive in the final Allegro
molto is also more impressive.
CD 9
There are plenty of special recordings of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto
No. 3 around, and the one which is paired with that Tchaikovsky recording
with Martha Argerich mentioned on CD 7 is an old favourite. Berezovsky’s performance
is even more large-scale, and whatever your reference might be, this is a
deeply satisfying recording, with the Philharmonia Orchestra on top form -
delivering sonorities and a passion which remind me of Tchaikovsky in comparison
to the more Schumann-like RSO Berlin with Argerich/Chailly. The whole thing
is given a startlingly vibrant recording. The timings between these two recordings
are very similar, with Berezovsky only taking a good deal more time over the
solo in the first movement to make his a good two minutes longer. The Op.23
Préludes which fill up the rest of the programme are all gorgeous,
particularly No. 10 in G flat major, which emerges from nothing,
like a gondola emerging from silent mists.
CD 10
This disc is ably described in Michael Cookson’s review
of this all-Hindemith programme. As he concludes, this music should hold no
fears for listeners less keen on ‘modern’ music. True, the counterpoint of
Ludus Tonalis does demand a different kind of concentration, but
Hindemith’s sense of tonality and clarity of melodic phrasing create some
remarkable fugues, all expressed with appropriate vigour or expressive restraint
by Boris Berezovsky. The earlier Suite ‘1922’ is a cracking piece,
and full of that quirky theatricality of the period – classical music straining
against the new influences of an age of machines and consumer dance music.
Berezovsky’s touch is perhaps a mite heavy on occasion here, but there is
no avoiding the conviction behind the notes.
To conclude, this is a set not to be missed, though for some strange reason
Teldec have opted to leave out Berezovsky's excellent 1994 Ravel disc which
included Gaspard de la nuit and a remarkable La Valse -
an omission to be lamented. The collection does have something of a bargain
feel, with skimpy and generalised booklet notes and just the one photo for
all disc sleeves. These are however made in sturdy cardboard, and come in
a decently constructed clamshell box.
Dominy Clements
Not to be missed.
Full contents list
Boris Berezovsky - The Teldec Recordings
CD 1
Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
12 Études, op.10 [29:43]
12 Études, op.25 [31:53]
3 Nouvelles Études, op. posth. [6:44]
rec. Teldec Studio, Berlin 1991
CD 2
Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Selection of Études with transcriptions by Leopold GODOWSKY (1870-1938)
Op.10 No.1 in C major – Godowsky transcription ‘Diatonisch’ [4:14]
Op.10 No.2 in A minor – Godowsky’s second transcription ‘Ignis Fatuus’ [3:22]
Op.10 No.4 in C sharp minor – Godowsky transcription for left hand [4’37]
Op.10 No.5 in G sharp major – Godowsky transcriptions in C major ‘Study on
White Keys’ and in A minor ‘Tarantella’ [5:40]
Op.10 No.6 in E flat minor – Godowsky transcription for left hand [7:23]
Op.10 No.12 in C minor – Godowsky transcription for left hand in C sharp minor
[5:36]
Op.25 No.1 in A flat major – Godowsky’s second transcription [5:16]
Op.25 No.5 in E minor – Godowsky’s second transcription in C sharp minor ‘Mazurka’
[6:35]
Godowsky transcription of Op.10 No.5 and Op.25 No.9 combined in G flat major
‘Badinage’ [1:34]
Godowsky transcription of Op.10 No.11 and Op.25 No.3 combined in F major [2:46]
Godowsky: Alt-Wien (Triakontameron, No.11) [2:00]
Godowsky transcription of Waltz Op.64 No.1 in D flat major ‘Minute’ [3:19]
rec. live, The Maltings, Snape, Suffolk, 19-20 April 2005
CD 3
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Davidsbündlertänze Op.6 [38 :01]
Sonata No.2 in G minor Op.22 [17:22]
Toccata in C Op.7 [6:46]
rec. Teldec Studio, Berlin, May 1992
CD 4
Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Études d’exécution transcendante, S139 [60:26]
rec. Teldec Studio, Berlin, May 1995
CD 5
Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124 [17:11]
Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S125 [19:40]
Totentanz, S126 [16:00]
Philharmonia Orchestra/Hugh Wolf
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. Liszt
Fantasy in C major, D760 ‘Wanderer-Fantasie’ [21:04]
New York Philharmonic/Kurt Masur
rec. Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Aldburgh, December 1994 (Liszt) and Avery
Fisher Hall, New York, 1997
CD 6
Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1861)
Night on the Bare Mountain [11:12]
Sergey RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
4 Études-Tableaux Op. 39 [19:22]
Anatoly LIADOV (1865-1914)
3 Preludes [5:27]
Nicolai MEDTNER (1880-1951)
Fairy Tales [16:40]
Mily BALAKIREV (1837-1910)
Islamey [7:48]
rec. Teldec Studio, Berlin, 1994 & 1995
CD 7
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor, op. 23 [32:01]
Aram KHACHATURIAN (1903-1978)
Piano Concerto in D flat major [30:06]
Ural Philharmonic Orchestra/Dmitri Liss
rec. Philharmonic Great Hall, Ekaterinburg, 20-23 February 2006
CD 8
Sergey RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Op.22 [27:31]
Piano Sonata No.1 in D minor, op. 28 [38:58]
rec. Teldec Studio, Berlin, 1-5 March 1993
CD 9
Sergey RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, op. 30 [42:21]
Philharmonia Orchestra/Eliahu Inbal
5 Préludes, Op.23 [16:42]
rec. Watford Town Hall, July 1991
CD 10
Paul HINDEMITH (1895-1963)
Ludus tonalis (1942-43) [53:42]
Suite 1922, Op. 26 (1922) [17:50]
rec. 23-24 February 2006, Philharmonia Great Hall, Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Boris Berezovsky (piano)
TELDEC 2564 66468-4 [10 CDs: 68:16 + 54:32 + 62:10 + 74:03 + 60:34
+ 62:07 + 66:31 + 59:04 + 72:11]