Estampes (1903) [13:02]
Images - 1ère série (1905) [15:20]
Images - 2ème série (1907) [13:57]
12 Études (1915) [46:09]
Hommage à Haydn (1909) [3:07]
Craig Sheppard (piano)
rec. live, 15-16 April 2013, Meany Theater, Seattle
ROMÉO RECORDS 7299/7300 [42:19 + 49:16]
Not long after Craig Sheppard’s recording of the Preludes
comes this twofer which contains performances of Estampes and
Images – both series - that continue to prove the American
to be technically exceptionally, stylistically perceptive, tonally colouristic
and interpretatively superb. Where to start?
Let’s try Estampes where his pacing is unimpeachable and
his sense of sonority and of arm weight, of colour and judicious pedalling
are consistently rewarding aspects of his art. The wave-like imprecations
of Jardins sous la pluie are splendidly realised, its rhythms
calibrated with hypnotic allure. Only one thing very slightly dimmed my
ardour and that’s not the pianist’s fault – the microphone
placement is just a bit too close and one can hear pedalling or the piano’s
action. I’ve noted this before in some of Sheppard’s live
recordings at Meany Theater and gradually the placement has improved but
it still sounds to me that the balance between immediacy of sound and
of a just distance is still not quite there yet. Irrespective of this,
the performance is still masterly.
Sheppard’s approach to Images similarly shows that he is
not prepared to accept perceived orthodoxies in post-Gieseking recorded
performance. A deep concern for structural matters is accompanied by clarity
of articulation and by appropriate use of the pedal. There’s no
hazy wash in Reflets dans l’eau. He, like many pianists,
is somewhat slower – though often not by much – than Daniel
Ericourt, who performed alongside and briefly knew Debussy (as Gieseking
had not), and is also somewhat warmer as a tonalist – though this
is also a reflection of the poor quality of the 1961-2 Ericourt recordings,
which are on Ivory Classics 73006.
The Études reprise qualities of deftness, intellectual
probity, and deep musical quality. Less startling than Ericourt in the
first of the twelve, he remains droll, whilst he is tauter and less ‘dappled’
in the third. Rhythmical buoyancy is a constant feature of his performances
– sample the fourth – and his crystalline finger clarity in
the sixth is marvellously vivid; crystalline but not cold, precise but
not unfeeling, this is music-making that honours but never parades. His
pre-encore introduction of the Hommage à Haydn is typically
unaffected and charming, and caps a captivating, musically honest and
interpretatively elevated sequence of performances, ones that Debussians
will want to hear.
Jonathan Woolf
Previous review: John
Quinn
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