Customer Reviews

Chopin - Pletnev

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am truly astonished that this CD, despite the fact that it has been released for nearly five years, has not been rated by anyone at Amazon. Among my very bulky collection of Chopin's oeuvre this release of Pletnev I consider one of his best. So far he's released three CDs entirely with compositions by this composer. I admire the interpretation of Chopin's works on the other studio recording (Sonata No. 2, Scherzo No. 2), however, I find it quite inferior to this one as far as the quality of sound is concerned. Particularly I dislike the excessive amount of reverb. This recording, however, is simply superb in every possible aspect. The whole of it represents a wonderfully compiled recital, each piece rendered with gorgeous and stylish interpretation. You can feel how each representation is a result of the interpreter's devotion to each piece. Pletnev's Chopin is thoughtful, poetic, beautiful, and brilliant. Above all, Pletnev's Chopin is new and individual. Unlike the plethora of pianists busily recording Chopin, Pletnev is releasing only the compositions as a result of true artistic reconsideration. Here, in my opinion, he brings an incredibly inspiring Fantasy in F minor as well as the Sonata No. 3 in B minor. In the Finale of the Sonata he puts to shame all other grandiose interpreters. Yes, Chopin requires devotion! All the other smaller works on this CD are simply an infallible approach in the rediscovering of the Slavic composer. When it comes to its sonic qualities the entire CD is an unquestionable success.
I do hope that Pletnev will release more Chopin, specifically the Nocturnes.

Michail Pletnev is one of those performers who brings a little extra something to the music he plays. This will not appeal to all who expect a piece of music to be played within a narrow corridor of technique and intrepration. In all his performances - Scarlatti, CPE Bach, the Russian works and Chopin - Pletnev certainly can never be faulted for being dull, ploding or banal. Conversely, his pianism is always thrilling and exhilerating to experience.

Probably the one facet of Pletnev's "signature style" that is most breathtaking is the crystallinity, crispness and etherealness of his running demisemiquavers. His "plucky" and hyperkinetic articulation is the G-flat and G-sharp major Etude (and the A-flat major Impromptu for that matter) are absolutely thrilling and a highlight of this disc. I found his reading of the Impromptu intriguing and deeply satisying.

All of these qualities - along with a keen sensitivity for Chopin's form and poetry - combine to make a most satisfying Chopin recital worth hearing in a crowded sea of Chopin recordings. This CD has a nice variety that showcase Pletnev's wide range of pianistic skills. While other pianists may exude a more elegant and refined poetry in "Parlor Pieces" like the Waltzes, Nocturnes or Impromptus, Pletnev injects a unique dynamism into such works that frees them of any hint of sappiness or sameness and charges them with a greater kinetic energy. Not to say his playing is all about energy as his reading of the hauntingly lovely A-minor Waltz brims with expression and allure, while the C-sharp minor Etude transports the listener to a beautiful, dreamy world.

The highlight of the recital for some will be his superb reading of the Sonata No. 3 in B-minor - a daunting work that Pletnev brings to a vibrant life. (this work in particular got strong reviews). Speaking of reviews, Penguin Guide gave this recital a top 3/3 stars, concluding, "For all of one's reservation of the personal element, this is most distinguished playing indeed." Yes indeed, Pletnev brings a thilling element to most anything he puts his fingers to, and this has earned him many passionate fans. All-in-all, a most enjoyable and exciting Chopin program played with dazzling and dreamy effect and recorded in that legendary brilliant, full-bodied DG sound that makes the piano sound right in front of you. Compositions - 5 stars; Performance - 5 stars; Sound Quality - 5 stars.

Today I listened to this cd for the first time. I have not heard such a unique, personal interpretation of Chopin for a long time. You may not always agree with some of his interpretative choices, but this is undoubtedly a very exciting and surprising cd.
If you love Chopin, buy it.

Earlier reviews have covered the details of this Chopin recital from 1997, making it clear that each reading marches to the sound of its own drum. Pletnev's way with Chopin is hard to describe and even harder to pass judgment upon. (It arouses strange reactions, such as the Amazon reviewer's: "extraordinarily manly, with a decidedly Slavic cast.") At first blush Pletnev seems to be reclaiming the territory of past Romantic greats, a lineage traceable to Liszt, who put their larger-than-life personalities ahead of the score. We assume that time has moved on, to a greater respect for the composer's intentions and less hubris from the performer. For Pletnev to turn back the clock offends many critics. The typical reviews that he receives are liberally laced with warnings about what to expect. The fall back position of a reviewer is often something like "a pianist with formidable technique who uses it for his own idiosyncratic ideas."

Which is fair enough if you value conventionality and moderation. for Pletnev to take almost 11 min. in the Largo to Sonata #3, introducing hushed pianissimos and lingering pauses to create the effect of time standing still, will drive you from the room. But then, you may also have to toss out Cortot, Moisewwitsch, and Horowitz along with PLetnev. I think that recordings flatten history out; on disc a Cortot is just as present as a Pletnev. They don't have to be isolated by fashion and trend. The ultimate standard is musical invention, cogency, sympathy, and communication. Cortot has all those things in his way, and so does Pletnev. He isn't arbitrary or idiosyncratic; he's an artist giving us music through his own imagination. He doesn't apply a set of mannerism mechanically, and almost never does he insert a pause, hesitation, or quirky change of dynamics simply to draw attention to himself. Naturally, not everyone wil concede those points, but I find that Pletnev really is thinking his way through each measure. I like what I hear, and the fact that I haven't heard it before adds to my enjoyment, even though others will be irritated for the same reason.

It's slightly embarrassing, then, to say that this isn't the pianist's best Chopin recording. His earlier one on Virgin from 1988 is less studied and self-consciously nuanced. Also, he is less liable, as he does here, to revert to the quiet side so often, holding back emotionally for the sake of artfulness. It's worth owning both in the end because they reveal so many new angles on thrice-familiar music.

Music and Art critics live in the impassioned world of subjectivity. Take the critique written by the Czech born music critic Eduard Hanslick in the Neue Freie Presse in Vienna in December of 1881. He wrote of Tchaikovsky's Violin concerto..."Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto gives us for the first time the hideous notion that there can be music that stinks to the ear..." If we had to criticize Hanslick for his words, we would be as guilty of subjectivity as he was in his criticism. However, it is with this vein of subjectivity that I humbly share these comments regarding the 1997 recording of the Russian Pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev's performances of the works of Frederick Chopin.

It was on hearing his rendering of the Opus 49 Fantasie that made me run out and purchase this CD. Pletnev does not play Chopin in this recording; he lives in the music like a fish lives in water. Regardless of the criticisms about the rubatos, ritardandos and the accelerandos that are questioned by others, in my modest opinion he caresses this work with absolute love of the music and all the contemplative passion that he can impart to it from the depths of his Russian soul. In this piece he performs magic in the lower register - some interesting work with the left hand. The Ecossaises are light and appealing, the Waltzes are liltingly full of humor and romance. The Impromptu is played in a manner that possibly Chopin would have played it himself, full of expression and meditation. In the Op.10 No. 5 Etude he flies over those "Black Keys" leaving no doubt about his broad spectral technical relationship with his piano. The B Minor Piano Sonata does not disappoint. The Allegro Maestoso is just that, and when we reach the Largo, we hear him once again embracing the music with a soft slow passion. The Finale is a tightly woven fabric that brings the Sonata to a glittering completion.
This is for me, a Five Star recording.

Mikhail Pletnev is probably the epitome of the modern concert pianist, blessed with an awesome, apparently flawless technique, he makes music which is almost unplayable for the average mortal seem like a walk in the park, though this may be a double-edged sword of course if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor! His tone is light,wonderfully clear, incredibly agile, brilliant and extrovert and his tempi almost invariably fast, sometimes astonishingly so, though he will occasionally throw in a very slow one by way of heightening the contrast. Everything is done for effect and in this respect he is probably the ideal pianist for Chopin. Certainly I have never heard better technical performances or finer sound quality than these.
I did, however, on occasion, find myself asking, yes, but what does he think this piece actually means? Admittedly this is a question that has been asked about Chopin before, with somewhat variable answers. How would he fare, I wonder, with Brahms or Mozart? Mightn't he get bored? I note with interest that he has recorded mainly Russian music.
This is a great performer without question, whether he is also a great musician I will reserve judgement on, although I see he has been engaged recently on a conducting project, the complete Beethoven symphonies. Should be interesting at the very least.

Mikhail Pletnev is undoubtedly on the short-list of the greatest living pianists. His interpretations are always exceedingly individual--his unique voice of hyper-nimble, sensitive and singing fingers constantly permeating his performances. However, the downside of his highly idiosyncratic playing is that it at times gets too self-indulgent and attention-seeking. In the case of Chopin, some people may well argue that he is the one to be blamed, not Pletnev, as his music opens itself to such an endless variability of interpretative options--which is also why his music is so difficult to interpret the 'correct' or 'perfect' way. Nonetheless, on rare occasions, one encounters this--as with Ohlsson, Moravec, Demidenko and Argerich.

As to this Chopin recital, the three Etudes indeed belong to this elusive select group of 'perfect' performances--have the G-flat-major 'Black Keys' ever run with such feather-light fingers, have the fearsome G-sharp-minor thirds ever sounded so seamlessly even, or has the slow C-sharp-minor bel canto theme ever been 'sung' with such delicacy? Also the three Ecossaises are given truly masterful five-star interpretations. Lastly, the sadness of the A-minor Waltz is captured with a rare sense of beauty.

Unfortunately, that is where the good things end about this recital. The two major works--the F-minor Fantaisie and the B-minor Sonata--are really disappointing in Pletnev's hands. Indeed, he tries his utmost to make them sound special and original, but in the process the natural flow of beauty inherent in Chopin's masterful writing is partly lost. It is not the at times excessively slow tempos themselves that cause the damage, but rather the tendency to speed up and slow down things, as it seems, almost randomly that makes one lose the track of the music. Just listen to Demidenko, who--although clocking in almost identically with Pletnev on each movement--makes you shiver with joy through his natural way of delivering the pure exquisiteness of the music. The remaining two Waltzes and the A-flat-major Impromptu are given similar treatment, although the exaggerations stay within reasonable proportions thanks to the limited scope or the works.

To sum up--this recital could have been an out-and-out five-star recommendation had the priceless pianism apparent in the Etudes and Ecossaises been given also to the other works. Hence, the overall grade can only be three stars--the recorded sound, though being rather close, cannot be faulted. All the same, at repeated listening, one increasingly starts hoping Pletnev will be given opportunity to commit all the Chopin Etudes (or perhaps even more the Godowsky elaborations!) to disc--that could indeed be quite an event...

REFERENCES: Sonata--Demidenko; Other Works--Ohlsson

Oh, to have the technique this man posseses. What an extraordinary capacity to create an almost infinite palette of sound! But at virtually every musical moment, I would choose to do something different than what Maestro Pletnev does.

The professional reviewer on this site noted that Maestro Pletnev's Chopin has a Slavic cast -- I would say more specifically a Russian cast. But "Russian" doesn't fully characterize it, because Ashkenazy, Richter, Horowitz, Gilels and Davidovich, to name a few great Russian pianists, do not imbue their Chopin with this same quality. To be more specific, I would say that Pletnev plays his Chopin with an anti-Slavic Russian -- a nationalistic Russian -- style. There is a Slavic style associated with the Chopin of Rubinstein (and many others) that I anticipate when listening to Chopin. It's what one has come to expect when Chopin is played selflessly and idiomatically. And one doesn't have to be a Slav to play it that way. Claudio Arrau and Yundi Li both play Chopin in that same idiomatic spirit. I feel that Pletnev deliberately _avoids_ going down these well-worn paths. It makes me angry because there is much more Pletnev in these performances than Chopin. He actually disconnects me from this music -- he teases me by pulling me up short at almost every important musical point -- almost as if to say that it would be too uninteresting to play this music as it is written. I find it hard to believe that he really _feels_ this music in this way. Rather, I get the sense that he _avoids_ feeling the music this way. He uses his technique not as a way to get deeper into the emotion but rather as a way to avoid the emotion in this music and say something else. And that "something else" feels breezy and emotionally vacuous by comparison. He doesn't love this music except as a vehicle to demonstrate his phenomenal technique, which is perhaps unparalleled.

Pletnev is most successful in this recording when he is playing Chopin-lite, like the A-flat major Waltz, "Black Key" Etude or the G-sharp minor Etude. The first impromptu is also relatively successful. One comes away with exhiliration over how much control he has over the sound he wants to create. Where the recording is least successful is with the more probing Chopin -- the F minor Fantasie and the B minor Sonata. Pletnev has a tendency toward agogic slow-downs and fleet-fingered accelerations for some of his application of rubato. The middle section of the Fantasie slows to such a pace that one loses the melodic flow -- I thought of Russian bells during this section, but I don't think that's Chopin's intent. Or consider the part of the B minor Sonata that ends the exposition of the first movement. Why rush through it like that? I can't find fault with the seeringly beautiful 3rd movement, but I remain unmoved, and the last movement is played with the fleeting brilliance he brings to the A-flat Major Waltz so it is robbed of the sense of agitation, majesty and nobility that it can achieve.

The recorded sound is superb. This disc helps one appreciate the possibilities of piano technique, but I don't listen to it to find Chopin, just Pletnev, who is less interesting to me.

There is no doubt that Mikhail is a brilliant technical pianist. That is at once his great strength and his great weakness. I could be extremely unkind and say that Pletnev is merely using Chopin on this record as a vehicle for his own personal ends ie. to demonstrate his virtuosity. He wouldn't be the first to have done this and for the most part those who have done so have all been forgotten. Everything about this performance is extreme - tempo, either very, very fast or adagissimo; extreme dynamic range.... Why do pianists feel it necessary to perform in this narcissistic way? Recently I believe Mikhail has turned to conducting. Well at least that way there is some hope for him as he will have to confront human frailty and realise that only that way will you ever come to really understand the poetry of music. There is very little of it here, I'm sad to say. I hate being negative, so let me end by saying that Amazon is re-releasing a number of Rubinstein recordings. Just listen to those to see what I mean.