Customer Reviews

Chopin: 4 Scherzi / Polonaise No. 6 / Ballade No. 3 / Berceuse

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This mixed Chopin recital, featuring the four Scherzos at the center, dates from two recording sessions in 1974 and 1976, when Freire was 29 and 31. although I agree with the earlier reviewer when he says that Freire has the soul of a poet, it's not fully developed here. There's some hectic playing in the first two Scherzos, a touch of impatience, and insufficient relaxation to let the line breathe. But a bigger obstacle stands in the way of this listener's enjoyment. The piano sound is cramped and dull. the recordings were made in Teldec's studio in an acoustically dead space. It's hard to tell if the lack of breath is due to Freire's playing or the recorded sound, because whenever he reaches an exhilarating climax, the piano becomes uncomfortably hard and clangy. I try to listen to instruments at natural volume, but this is impossible when a fortissimo high note causes a headache.

I should make clear that Freire isn't pounding or banging. Richter adopted those traits to make a point; no other pianist dared to incorporate ugliness as an expressive device -- not that it always worked. Sometimes banging is just banging, even from Richter. One should also note that the younger Freire is much more impetuous than the pianist who has matured into a master of Chopin. It's breathtaking to hear all four Scherzi ride the same whirlwind, yet also a bit exhausting. His phrasing throughout this program is inventive and spontaneous. That's a real gift, given that Chopin playing i so often mannered and calculated in other hands. We are also spared the impersonal proficiency of Ashkenavy, the self-regard of Arrau, and the sheer dullness of Barenboim.

The recital settles down with the Fourth Scherzo, which receives a sparkling reading without undue rush. But i'm afraid the "Heroic" Polonaise is dashed off as if the hall were on fire; it's an outright failure. Ballade no. 3 also flirts with impatience but manages to right itself. It's not until the seventh item, the tender Berceuse, that one's nerves can unwind, and even here Freire unaccountably rushes. by that point I lost my enthusiasm. He is undeniably a great talent, even when he's being impossibly willful. Happily, Freire went on to do better things and to find far better sound in the bargain.

How often does a listener have the opportunity of hearing one of the very best pianists in the world for the first time? I have had that opportunity with Nelson Friere. He has the sensitivity of a poet or a great visual artist with technical dexterity not excelled by anyone today.

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