KALEIDOSCOPE
KHATIA
BUNIATISHVILI, Piano
Sony
Classical 88875170032 / ***1/2
Some repertoire works require to be
rethought, redefined and rediscovered, to order to remain fresh and relevant,
while some just need to be played period. In a deliberately provocative
interview in the sleeve-notes, young Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili
spoke of the listener willing himself or herself to be disappointed at the start
of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
On this point, she succeeds because her
opening Promenade is flaccid, and the pacing so static in The Old
Castle and Bydlo (The Oxcart) as to be stultifying. Things do
pick up in the faster movements, but one wishes she could have left well alone,
such as in Sviatoslav Richter's marvellous recordings which let the music speak
for itself.
Her interventionist approach does however
work for Ravel's La Valse, where she conjures an orchestral sweep and
the build-up to final meltdown is palpably exciting. Similarly, the license she
takes for Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka serves the
narrative well. Her prodigious technique never falters for a moment, but is
dance music all about speed, shock and awe?
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