LUCAS DEBARGUE plays
SCARLATTI. CHOPIN. LISZT. RAVEL
Sony
Classical 88875192982 / ****1/2
BACH. BEETHOVEN. MEDTNER
Sony
Classical 88985341762 / *****
Lucas
Debargue was the young French pianist at the centre of controversy in the 2015
Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition when he was shunned by the jury for
the top prize, garnering only 4th place in the final standings. His cause
celebre was rewarded with these two recital recordings, issued by Sony
Classical in quick succession.
A unique talent far removed from the usual mould
of child prodigy and conservatory-trained product, he began the piano at a late
age, and received formal tutelage just four years before this unexpected “triumph”.
The
first disc is an artist's calling card, filled with competition fodder like
Liszt's Mephisto Waltz No.1, Ravel's Gaspard De La Nuit and
Chopin's Ballade No.4 dispatched with relative ease. More telling is the
extraordinary sensitivity displayed in four varied Scarlatti Sonatas and
Grieg's Melody (from Lyric Pieces).
The
second disc is a personal manifesto, beginning with utter clarity in Bach's Toccata
in C minor and the unexpected choice of Beethoven's early Sonata in D
major (Op.10 No.3), with each of its vastly disparate four movements bravely
etched out in stone.
The piece de resistance is Medtner's rarely heard Sonata
in F minor (Op.5), where dark vistas and contrapuntal sophistication are melded
with an irresistible vividness that is totally absorbing. Here is a name to
watch for the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment