CD Review (The Straits Times, July 2017)

CHOPIN Works for Piano & Orchestra

JAN LISIECKI, Piano

NDR Elbphilharmonie / Krzysztof Urbanski

Deutsche Grammophon 479 6824 / *****1/2

The two piano concertos of Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), while very popular, have been over-recorded. It is thus a welcome change to hear the other four of the Polish pianist-composer's works for piano and orchestra. Composed during his teenaged years and early-20s, these were conceived as showpieces for a rising virtuoso. 

The best-known is the Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brillante (Op.22), often heard as a solo work. Tacking together two completely different pieces, a nocturne-like cantabile and extroverted digital display are keenly contrasted.

Variations On La Ci Darem From Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Op.2) is heard on occasion. A work so inventive and scintillating, Robert Schumann hailed, “Hats off, a genius!” after hearing it for the first time. The true rarities are the Krakowiak (Op.14), a fast Polish folk-dance and Fantasy on Polish Airs (Op.13), with Chopin's nationalism proudly worn like a badge during his touring years. 

These receive marvellous performances filled with insight and vitality by young Polish-Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki, who had previously recorded Chopin's 24 Études to great success. The German orchestral accompaniment led by fellow Pole Krzsztof Urbanski is by no means perfunctory, adding to a pleasurable hour of easy listening.    

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, July 2014)

CHOPIN Études

JAN LISIECKI, Piano

Deutsche Grammophon 479 1039 / ****1/2

It would seem like every young hot-shot pianist has to establish his or her credentials by cutting their teeth on Chopin’s 24 Études, long considered the ideal marriage between technical wizardry and musical poetry. The Polish-Canadian Jan Lisiecki, just 18 years old when he recorded both sets of studies last year, distinguishes himself as rather special talent in the crowded field of keyboard virtuosos. He displays a natural unforced facility in these unrelenting finger-twisters, and when the going gets tough, it is lyricism that shines through.

From the opening C major “Arpeggio” study (Op.10 No.1) to the torrents of crashing sea-waves of the final C minor etude (Op.25 No.12), one gets the sense of an artist fully in control of his faculties. The tricky filigree of the F major (Op.10 No.8), the ferocious runs of thirds in the G sharp minor (Op.25 No.6), or the octave cascades in the B minor (Op.25 No.10) hold little fears for this wunderkind. One however wishes he could have taken a little more time to savour the unfolding lament in the E flat minor number (Op.10 No.6), which  sounds hurried. This is a small quibble in an otherwise highly impressive showing from Lisiecki, a new name and one to note for the future.

FRENCH TRUMPET CONCERTOS

OLE EDVARD ANTONSEN, Trumpet

Sao Paulo Symphony / LAN SHUI

BIS 1778 / ****1/2

The 20^th century trumpet is an extraordinarily versatile instrument, equally at home with classical forms as well as jazz and contemporary music. Its powers of sustaining long notes and agility in articulation make it ideal for the blues idiom and extroverted pyrotechnics. These 20^th century French trumpet concertos exploit those qualities, making for an entertaining listen. The two Trumpet Concertos by André Jolivet (1905-74) are already well-established. The First (1948, published as a Concertino) is influenced by Stravinsky’s neoclassicism, employing strings and piano like a modern concerto grosso.  The forces of the Second (1954) resemble those of a jazz band, offering a similar vibe as Milhaud’s Afro-centric ballet The Creation of the Earth.

The Trumpet Concerto of 1944 by Henri Tomasi (1901-71), a native Corsican, is more traditional in its acrobatic displays but the silvery strains of the moody blues are never far away. Less well known are the Robert Planel’s Concerto (1966) and Alfred Desenclos’s Incantation, Threnody & Dance (1953), which are highly tonal and totally engaging. Norwegian trumpeter Ole Edvard Antonsen is a virtuoso of the first rank, and he is well supported by the excellent Brazilian orchestra led by the Singapore Symphony’s music director Lan Shui. This interesting corner of the repertoire is well worth exploring.