Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881)
Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) [33:34]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Fantasie in C major, Op. 17 (1836-38) [30:52]
Paul Lewis (piano)
rec. November 2010, February 2014, Teldec Studio, Berlin
HARMONIA MUNDI HMC902096 [64:43]
Until now most of my experience of the playing of Paul Lewis,
whether on disc or live, has been limited to Beethoven and Schubert. I’ve
been consistently impressed by his work in that repertoire so the opportunity
to hear him in music by other composers was too good to miss.
Schumann’s Fantasie in C major is a remarkable composition. The first of its
three movements bears the initial marking Durchaus phantasisch und leidenschaftlich
vorzutragen which may be translated as ‘To be played extremely imaginatively
and passionately’. In a letter to his beloved Clara he wrote that the first
movement ‘is probably the most passionate I have yet written … a deep lament
for you.’ It is surely significant that the music includes a phrase borrowed
from Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte: at this time, faced with
her father’s implacable opposition, marriage to his beloved Clara must have
seemed a distant prospect. Paul Lewis catches the mood from the outset, realising
expertly the headlong, romantic sweep of the music. When, briefly, the passionate
tide of music eases and we reach the Im Legendenton section
(4:52) there is, for a moment, greater simplicity in the music, which finds
an echo in Lewis’s playing; this is an excellent contrast after the richness
of the opening. This long first movement can seem a freewheeling piece though
actually the music is quite tightly constructed around the thematic material.
Lewis handles the changes of tempo or from one episode to another very convincingly.
In the short Adagio sections he uses rubato and skilfully places
and weights chord or individual notes in a way that reminded me of his similar
prowess in Schubert.
The second movement uses march-like dotted rhythms and projects confidence,
at least on the surface. The Etwas bewegter section (3:25) serves
as a trio and Schumann’s music seems strangely disjoined at times. In the
following scherzando section that leads to the return of the march
material Lewis ramps up the energy again. Once again I admire his ability
to navigate the twists and turns of Schumann’s invention. The final movement
is marked Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten. So much of
this movement requires quiet playing, the dynamic rarely rising above mf.
It’s almost as if Schumann were simply musing to himself. Lewis is highly
sensitive and beautifully controlled throughout and, as the composer intended,
the few instances where the dynamics are loud really stand out. This seems
to me to be a highly successful and involving reading of the Fantasie.
Pictures at an Exhibition places many demands upon any pianist who
would play the work. For one thing, there are considerable technical challenges.
More significant, perhaps, is the requirement quickly to establish the mood
of each fairly short piece so as to convey to the listener the imaginative
content of each Picture a demand which may be heightened if the listener
has not actually seen the pictures by Viktor Hartmann (1834-1873) which fired
Mussorgsky’s imagination. There’s an additional challenge, though this is
not posed by Mussorgsky himself: that’s to banish from the listener’s mind
memories of the colourful orchestrations that several hands, most notably
Ravel, have visited on the piano original.
However, as I listened to this admirable performance by Paul Lewis a rather
strange thing happened. To be sure, the strength and fantasy of his playing
made me concentrate on the work as a piano piece yet there were a number of
instances when his performance also made me recall how Ravel had caused the
music to sound and I admired afresh Ravel’s genius in re-imagining Mussorgsky’s
music.
Mussorgsky demands a wide range of tone and colour from his pianist. On the
one hand there are several instances where huge, deep tone is required: ‘Catacombs’
and ‘The Great Gate of Kiev’ are the most obvious examples. Elsewhere dexterity,
finesse and lightness of touch are the order of the day: ‘Ballet of the unhatched
chicks’ and the bustle of ‘The marketplace in Limoges’ spring readily to mind
in that connection; in both of these there’s admirable energy. Paul Lewis
is the master of both extremes. He also depicts the strange, grotesque world
of ‘The Gnome’ very vividly, managing expertly the swift switches between
powerful chords and agility. I like the subtle air of mystery that he brings
to ‘The Old Castle’, shading the music very well. In ‘Bydlo’ the tread of
the oxen is heavy and suitably cumbersome yet the tone is never forced.
In ‘Catacombs’ Lewis makes the most of the pauses. In his hands this piece
is very imposing and rather threatening. Then he goes on to deliver a very
atmospheric account of ‘Cum mortuis in lingua morta’, a very strange variant
on the Promenade material. There’s great dynamism in ‘Baba yaga’ and in the
central Andante mosso section of this piece, Lewis generates a most
effective suspense. The control that he exerts in ‘The Great Gate of Kiev’
is most impressive. It would be all too easy to launch this thunderously out
of the link passage from ‘Baba yaga’ but the opening is only marked forte.
So while he makes the music suitably grand you sense he’s holding quite a
bit in reserve, conscious that there’s quite a long way to go. The senza
espressione passages are delivered just as marked and then comes the
apotheosis of the hymn (3:42) and it’s immediately clear that Lewis has indeed
been husbanding his resources. There’s now a wonderful deep sonority and the
ending is terrifically imposing. This is a fine and very satisfying traversal
of Mussorgsky’s art gallery.
Both performances are presented in very good studio sound. There’s a useful
booklet note.
Some three years ago I reviewed
a set of recordings by Paul Lewis of piano works by Schubert and I concluded
by saying: “This well rounded recital … confirms the credentials of Paul Lewis
as one of the leading pianists of his generation … This distinguished release
demands the attention of lovers of piano music.” In truth, those comments
could equally apply to several more Lewis discs that I’ve heard in the intervening
period and it’s certainly true of this impressive disc. I would particularly
like to hear this splendid British pianist go on to record
more Schumann and, indeed, some Brahms.
John
Quinn
Another review ...
A new disc from Paul Lewis is an exciting event, and I jumped at this Pictures expecting insight, sensitivity and surprises, similar to what I found in his Schubert and Beethoven. It’s there, sort of. He approaches the Promenades very sensitively, without any of the brashness or look-at-me persona of some pianists. That’s to be welcomed: it’s an indication of the thoughtfulness of his approach. The eclectic variety, from which this suite derives so much of its appeal, is clearly evident in Lewis’ playing, and that comes through in lots of the effects that he achieves. There is a beautifully languid spell over The Old Castle, for example, and The Marketplace at Limoges is suitably frantic. I liked the tension in the middle of Baba Yaga’s movement, and the end of the Great Gate of Kiev reaches a suitably grandiose climax. In other movements, however, my high expectations of Lewis weren’t quite met. My spine didn’t tingle in the darker passages of Gnomus, and Bydlo began too loudly so that it didn’t have enough room to grow. Likewise, I didn’t feel there was enough of a swagger or contrast to Goldenberg and Schmüyle, and the Catacombs weren’t as spectral as I might have hoped for. They’re all very expertly played but, for me at any rate, that magical X-Factor didn’t show up quite often enough.
It was, to my surprise, the Fantasie that caught my imagination much more. The first movement contains music of turbulent passion, and Lewis captures brilliantly the kaleidoscopic, phantasmagorical opening, through which a melody just about emerges. This is impressionistic playing of rippling intensity and surging sensuality, the rapid transitions and mood-swings reinforcing this as a work of Schumann's turbulent courtship. It swings from one passion to another, and it’s easy as a listener to get completely caught up in it. The second movement combines grandeur with anarchic playfulness and, if the third movement restores some, very limited, decorum then the finale’s final minutes have a wonderful air of passion fulfilled, goal achieved.
It’s all great playing and, in the end, a very good disc, but not for the reasons I was expecting.
Simon Thompson
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