CD Reviews (The Straits Times, March 2016)

A BEETHOVEN ODYSSEY Volumes 3&4

JAMES BRAWN, Piano

MSR Classics 1467 & 1468 / ****1/2

British pianist James Brawn continues on his labour of love with the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas and reaches the halfway mark. While keeping the mature and more profound utterances to later instalments, the earlier sonatas and “nicknamed” sonatas benefit from his direct approach, that of Beethoven as a fearless and unabashed communicator. 

Volume 3 begins with the Sonata in A major (Op.2 No.2) and continues with the “Tempest” Sonata in D minor (Op.31 No.2). Both are possessed with stürm und drang (storm and stress) temperament that was to make Beethoven such a rudely fascinating character. The “Les Adieux” Sonata in E flat major (Op.81a) was his only programmatic sonata, with an abundance of joy, sorrow and exhilaration thrown into the mix.

The longest sonata in Volume 4 is the “Pastoral” Sonata in D major (Op.28), so-named because of its bucolic quality and movements recalling country dances. Its counterpart is the “simple” Sonata in G major (Op.79), another work with German folk influences. 

The balance is filled with short sonatas: the early E major (Op.14 No.1), the deceptively difficult F sharp major (Op.78) and the late E minor (Op.90) with its glorious Schubertian song-like finale which ends all too soon. Brawn plays all of these beautifully, imbued with the quintessential Beethovenian spirit that is hard to resist. More please. 

BRAVE NEW WORLD

EMMA JOHNSON, Clarinet

JOHN LENEHAN, Piano

Champs Hill 084 / ****1/2

Music in the 20^th century saw a multiplicity of styles and -isms. Atonalism and serialism were embraced by the academic and compositional establishment but alienated casual listeners. This survey of 20^th century clarinet music written during the 1930s to 50s by British clarinettist Emma Johnson steers clear of those, keeping tonality close to her heart. Already familiar to listeners is the music of Sergei Prokofiev's Flute Sonata (1943, also his Violin Sonata No.2), which sounds totally idiomatic and lyrical for the clarinet in her arrangement.

There are fascinating contrasts to be found in the Sonatas of Paul Hindemith (1939)and Nino Rota (1945), the astringency and counterpoint of the German juxtaposed with the more melodious and commercial style of the Italian, better known for his film music. 

Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski's Dances Preludes (1955) make the best case for folk-inspired modernism, while the spirituality of Olivier Messiaen's Abyss Of The Birds from Quartet For The End Of Time (1941) and Vocalise-Etude (1935) elevate music to a higher and more ethereal plain. Johnson has a rich, mellow sound and performs with true feeling and sympathy, which are well-captured in the marvelous recording.

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, June 2010)

TRANSFORMATION

YUJA WANG, Piano

Deutsche Grammophon 477 8795

*****

Following the critical success of her début recording, Yuja Wang’s sophomore CD is even better. The repertoire is pure virtuoso fodder from the competition mill, but she is on top of everything. In Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka, Wang matches Maurizio Pollini’s famous 1970s recording for sheer incisiveness, and even tops it with a buoyancy and windswept lightness that defies belief. Taking certain liberties in phrasing and textures, she makes this reading very much her own. 

Like the legendary Michelangeli and Earl Wild, she merges both books of Brahms’ fearsome Paganini Variations and also reorders some of the sequences. With crystal clarity and faultless control, the results are stunning. Ravel’s sweeping La Valse, with its monstrous chords and decadent glissandi, completes the picture. Two little Scarlatti sonatas, played with delicacy and insight, demonstrate an all-rounded musicality. Be prepared to be blown away.

VOLODOS IN VIENNA

ARCADI VOLODOS, Piano

Sony Classical 88697568872

*****

The Russian arch-virtuoso Arcadi Volodos is without doubt one of the most compelling pianists today. This 2009 recital in the Golden Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein confirms that he is the true successor Russian icons like Horowitz, Richter and Gilels. Seldom have musical judgment, tonal allure and digital dexterity been better aligned. 

His programming is also unusual, beginning with a handful of Scriabin miniatures (Préludes and dances), whetting the palate before the feverish intensity of the Russian mystic’s Seventh Sonata “White Mass”. Then come the variegated leaves from Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales and Schumann’s Forest Scenes, all delivered with delicious wit and rare insight. In Liszt’s barnstorming Dante Sonata, he does a Horowitz by adding his own outrageous embellishments. Artistic licence or self-indulgent hubris? At any rate, this artist demands to be heard.

CHOPIN 200^th Anniversary Edition

EMI Classics 9671172 (16 CDs)

****

Every work that Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) wrote included the piano. Despite the ambitious title, this is a mixed bag including chamber music and songs from 20 different pianists dating between 1955 and 2009. The sound quality is variable but mostly acceptable. The lion’s share of performances come from American Garrick Ohlsson, the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition winner, who is excellent in the Piano Concertos, Nocturnes, Préludes and Polonaises (including those written as a child and teenager). Also worth listening to are the 58 Mazurkas and several dances from the late great Ronald Smith, and Andrei Gavrilov’s blistering account of the Études.

Not all Chopin is great music; his early First Sonata (Op.4) is derivative despite an ardent reading from Leif Ove Andsnes. And does anyone really care about his Souvenir de Paganini, short variations on Carnival of Venice, even if it is played by Daniel Barenboim? The newest tracks are by the youngest pianist, 17-year-old Briton Benjamin Grosvenor, who performs Chopin’s miscellany – mostly obscure short pieces and shavings from a master’s workbench – with much sympathy. Hear him in more substantial fare at this year’s Piano Festival.

MUSIC FOR CLARINET & PIANO

EMMA JOHNSON, Clarinet

JOHN LENEHAN, Piano

Naxos 8.572240

****1/2

This is a very accessible anthology of 20th century repertoire for the clarinet, which has unwittingly become a memorial for jazz legend Sir John Dankworth (1927-2010), the husband of Dame Cleo Lane. His Suite For Emma in five dance movements, written for Johnson, straddle between classical and popular/jazz forms. These are the lightest pieces here with the exception of Picture Of Jeanie, a scored improvisation of Stephen Foster’s Jeanie With Her Light Brown Hair.

The music takes on a slightly more serious tone with Aaron Copland’s early Nocturne (1926, originally for violin) and Clarinet Sonata (1943) which skillfully combine the blues with his more structured creations. Leonard Bernstein’s first published work was his Clarinet Sonata (1942), a witty 2-movement work that pays tribute to his teacher Paul Hindemith and mentor Copland. Former BBC Young Musician of the Year Johnson performs with disarming ease and fervour. Warmly recommended.