Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor Op.18 (1900-01) [32:43]
Arno BABADJANIAN (1921-1983)
Heroic Ballad for piano and orchestra (1950) [22:24]
Jean-Paul Gasparian (piano)
Berner Symphonieorchester/Stefan Blunier
rec. 2021, Diaconis-Kirche, Bern, Switzerland
CLAVES RECORDS 50-3004 [55:11]
This is a recording of Romantic piano concertos and I absolutely mean the capitol R there; all of Rachmaninov's concertante works pretty much define the genre and having gained their place in the concert hall and recording studio it is hard to see them toppled in popularity. It is unfortunate that the coupling here, the Heroic Ballad by Armenian composer Arno Babadjanian is unlikely to ever gain such a foothold in the public's imagination. I say unfortunately because it absolutely deserves to and it must be said that if anything would do that it would be this stellar performance by young pianist Jean-Paul Gasparian, French-born but Armenian by heritage, admirably joined by conductor Stefan Blunier and the Berne Symphony Orchestra.
Arno Babadjanian was a precocious musical talent and when Khatchaturian heard the 5 year old boy he recommended formal training which began at the Komitas State Conservatory in Babadjanian's home town of Yerevan when he was just seven. He was a gifted performer and teacher, admired by Shostakovich and as a composer he crossed boundaries, writing classical works influenced by Armenian folk music as well as composing film scores and confidently venturing into popular song.
The Heroic Ballad dates from 1950 when he had returned to Yerevan to teach at his Alma mater. It is heroic from the outset, the cinematic orchestral introduction taking us back to the Hollywood epics of old and widescreen vistas of towering mountains and barbarian hordes riding from the distance. Almost as if the camera has zoomed in to the lead actor the mood dissipates and we hear the piano with its exotically rich melody, soon rejoined by the orchestra who take up the melody with the soloist exploring around the it. A new toccata like section with some exciting and exuberant writing changes the mood and if there are hints of Kabalevsky and Khatchaturian it is Rachmaninov who is suggested most distinctly, especially around the five to six minute mark. More reflective music follows, a mood that remains even as the orchestral textures grow in intensity until Babadjanian brings us a quick-fire scherzo in quintuple time. There is some startling interplay between soloist and different sections of the orchestra here but after a few minutes the momentum dies away and a funeral march begins, first in the orchestra then joined by the soloist. This music grows ever more majestic, the piano now accompanying soaring strings before the drama intensifies and we get the full on Taras Bulba treatment. A grand climax seems to herald the end but sustained horns are left lingering on and we are treated to a thrilling tarantella finale and, in grand Rachmaninov tradition, a big tune ending.
Rachmaninov's second Concerto certainly needs no description from me beyond saying that it is a fabulous coupling to the heroic ballad; the Babadjanian has such echoes of Rachmaninov in his later concertos that it fits right in here. Once again the performers are in tune with this music, bringing depth to the romantic melodies and a buoyancy to the development section of the opening of the movement. Gasparian's technical facility is top notch, bringing clarity and effervescence to the passagework but he also shapes phrases well and brings a deft rubato without mannerism or point making. There is plenty to enjoy along the way and little things would tickle my ears; the passage into the cadenza of the second movement or the little accelerandi in the finale for instance.
I thoroughly enjoyed these performances. I have so many Rachmaninov C minor Concertos in my collection that it is difficult to justify another but Gasparian's performance is one that I am happy to have on my shelf and all the forces here play with such overwhelming commitment and sheer joy that it an easy disc to recommend. I would happily get this just for the Babadjanian with its honest to goodness, larger-than-life passion, melody and virtuosity. I see that Babadjanian wrote a piano concerto in 1944; it is to be hoped that these same forces have an opportunity to weave their magic with that work.
Rob Challinor
