Leoš JANÁČEK (1854-1928)
Po zarostlém chodníčku (On the overgrown path) Book 1 (1900-1911) [32:04]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Waldszenen, Op. 82 (1849) [22:34]
Kinderszenen, Op. 15 (1838) [19:48]
Marc-André Hamelin (piano)
rec. March 2013, Henry Wood Hall, London, UK
reviewed as a Studio Master 24/96 download
HYPERION CDA68030 [74:26]
Quebec-born Marc-André Hamelin is not just a keyboard virtuoso,
he’s a veritable force of nature. That’s amply demonstrated
in his own 12
Études in all the minor keys; and then there’s his coruscating
Alkan
and Rzewski.
As one of many distinguished pianists on Hyperion’s books he rarely
fails to impress, although I was mildly surprised by the choice of repertoire
on offer here. Not the kind of showpieces he does so well, perhaps, but
a challenging combination of Janáček at his darkest and most
ambiguous, and Schumann at his easeful, engaging best. As for Hyperion
they have an enviable reputation for top-flight piano recordings; indeed,
I’d go so far as to say they’re among the best in the business,
which makes this collection all the more alluring.
Janáček’s set of miniatures, On the overgrown path,
consists of two books; the first – played here – has 10 pieces,
the second five. They’ve fared quite well on disc, with recordings
from the likes of Leif Ove Andsnes (Virgin), Roland Pöntinen (BIS)
and Andras Schiff (ECM). As for the Schumann cycles – given pride
of place on the cover and in the liner-notes, despite coming second in
the order of play– the list of competing versions is much longer.
No matter; in Hamelin’s case comparatives are rarely useful, for
he’s one of those very individual artists – and that’s
not code for wayward or eccentric - who brings something new and authoritative
to everything he plays.
Much has been written of the inscrutability of the Janáček
pieces, whose evocative titles - A blown-away leaf (No. 2), Unutterable
anguish (No. 5) and The barn owl has not flown away! (No.
10) – seem innocent enough. Don’t be fooled, for they conceal
knotty utterances full of unexpected progressions and unsettled harmonies.
Hamelin homes in on this tense dialectic at the outset; for instance the
circular charm of Our evenings (No. 1) is soon interrupted by
something altogether more peremptory, even sinister. Finely articulated
and very well recorded, Hamelin’s playing has shape and clarity;
rhythms and dynamics are well judged too.
The piano is ideally balanced, its timbres are true and there’s
a pleasing naturalness to it all. In lesser hands these pieces could so
easily become an unvarying sequence of opposing moods, yet Hamelin’s
impressive range of colours and rhythmic nuances makes each piece seem
utterly individual. This is finely calibrated music-making whose very
proportionality and restraint renders Unbearable anguish –
with its mesmeric figures - and In tears all the more poignant.
Hamelin’s manifold talents are sure to hold you in their thrall
from start to finish; they certainly did me.
How does one follow that? With a miniaturist who inspired so many, Janáček
included. Hyperion have programmed Op. 82 first, and what a sunny glade
it seems after that sharp and gloomy thicket. Hamelin is just as comfortable
with Schumann’s high Romanticism, whether it’s the pensive
charm of Eintritt (Entry) and Einsame blumen (Lonely
flowers) or the virile strut of Jäger auf der Lauer (Hunters
on the lookout). Intimate of scale and execution but never self-conscious
Hamelin’s Waldszenen is a daisy chain of delights. A friendly,
heart-lifting landscape in every sense, this is Schumann at his most inventive
and disarming; it’s such a pleasure to hear a pianist so alive to
this composer’s sensibilities. The final Abschied, beautifully
poised, is imbued here with a rare, unforced loveliness.
After those bucolic excursions and asides Schumann’s Op. 15 –
which he described to Clara as ‘quaint little things’ –
explores another landscape, that of childhood. He may have labelled them
‘simple pieces’ but that surely has more to do with their
child-like reminiscences than the level of skill required to play them.
Hamelin is suitably virtuosic when required – Nos. 2, 6 and 9 are
despatched with real élan – but I’d have liked a bit
more suppleness in No. 4, the ubiquitous Träumerei (No.
7) and No. 11. That said, the sheer range and depth of piano tone is exploited
to the full.
In the presence of such fine, intuitive playing it seems churlish to nit-pick,
even if it is only the once. Hamelin’s is a prodigious talent, intelligently
used in this divergent repertoire, so his fans need not delay in acquiring
this disc or download. Hyperion’s easy-to-navigate website and Download
Manager – not to mention their real-world pricing – makes
the latter an attractive alternative for music buyers. As for Harriet
Smith’s thoughtful liner-notes, they are a pleasure to peruse.
Enchanting; Hyperion’s pied piper does it again.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
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