Customer Reviews

Hommage à Rachmaninov

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently returned to this recording after the release of Pletnev's live Carnegie Hall recital and it continues to amaze me. Using Rachmaninoff's own restored 1933 Steinway was indeed a daring enterprising and rewarding venture for this artist. So, does an older piano really sound better? It is rather suprising just how different a modern concert grand from 1933 sounds from one of more recent vintage. Pletnev capitalizes upon the differences in his recital of works which Rachmaninoff himself played in recital but did not record. If not better sounding it certainly is a very interesting aural experience.

Compare this performance of the E flat-minor Etude-Tableaux with the new live performance and the criticism of under pedalling voiced by one reviewer makes sense; Pletnev is here playing in a smaller very dry acoutic--not Carnegie Hall. It is rather like
being in the Horowitz living room; there are some acoustic drawbacks. Nevertheless the artistic merits here and indeed the spirit of the surroundings--Rachmaninoff's piano in his own house-- prevails. Fans of this pianist and of the composer-pianist himself will not be disappointed.

I listened to this recital back-to-back with Pletnev's live Carnegie Hall concert, as part of my reacquaintance with this pianist's art after a lengthy disenchantment with him. I am delighted to report how much I enjoyed this disk. The idea of the disk is novel, but in no sense a gimmick -- Rachmaninov's piano has a glorious sound, particularly in its middle registers, and the acoustic is perfect for these pieces. As a general comment, Pletnev's approach is big, bold, and colourful. He usually opts for broad tempi, in which he is most particular to bring out details and emphases neglected in other readings.

The Corelli Variations is not the finest piece Rachmaninov ever wrote, but in such an opulent, expansive interpretation it is pretty hard to resist. Pletnev sounds quite sensuous in caressing the lyrical themes, and displays his rich palette in the animato passages. The Beethoven is surprisingly chaste -- it certainly gleams with colour and bristles with virtuosity but there are no rhetorical gestures or pacing. The first movement is genuinely tinged with sadness without being mawkish, and the third movement is wonderfully alive and bouyant. The Mendelssohn pieces are played with charm and wit, and the Andante spianato is played with glorious lyricism -- I cannot think of another recording of this work in which the pianist demonstrates such wonderfully rounded legato. I confess I find the polonaise a bit too long for its own good, but Pletnev proves an able guide here, too. To close the disk, Pletnev returns to the piano's owner's music, giving us three op. 33 and one op. 39 etudes. Again, his pacing is quite broad -- he never drives these works too hard, conjuring an aura of Russian melancholy from their polyphonic textures. I compared with interest his performance of the famous op. 39/5 in this and the Carnegie Hall concert. I prefer this reading. It is in fact the quicker performance, most noticeably so in the earlier part of the work. Throughout his control and attention to detail are astonishing.

Highly recommended.

Ah... Another CD by the man who tends to avoid using the pedal. Some people do this to make passages clearer (akin to showing us what the chips taste like without smearing them with ketchup). But Pletnev takes it a (few) step(s) further. He shows us what the chips taste like, but raw and straight out the freezer. He seems to do it to show us how he has the capacity to play pieces, hardly touching the pedal. As any pianist will know, once you start using the pedal, you can't live without it. But Pletnev needs no pedal - which is a testament to his immense technique, but if there's a pedal, why not use it. Anyway, this CD is the best I have heard of this artist. Like most russians, he has a huge pastel of colours at his disposal and he uses them most tastefully to colour the Corelli variation (esp.) To the rest of this substantial (for DG) recital he brings his characteristic fingeriness and unique blend of grittiness and concentration. He never plays the pieces 'normally.' There's always something to remark on, which is a good thing, considering the number of pianists out there who are unaware that thousands (millions?) of people have already played these pieces 'normally'. A disc worthy of the title.

I received and listened to this CD yesterday. As a musician myself,I was aware of Pletnev's musicianship before, but after hearing his renditions on this CD, I am thrilled with his musicality. The Corelli Variations are masterfully played, sensuous in feeling, and one can imagine how Rachmaninov might have played them on this same Steinway piano. Pletnev moves from one composer to another with distinct interpretations appropriate for each. His superb piano technique serves to enlighten but not to impress the listener. The Chopin Grand Polonaise is brilliant, witty, and again, so easily accomplished, that the technique serves the music as it always should. Of the 4 Etudes-Tableaux, I found new depth and meaning in op. 35 No 5., "Appassionato". Having worked on this piece myself as a professional musician (pianist-organist) I well appreciated the difficulty both with execution and interpretation. This is the first CD I have of Mikhail Pletnev and I play to add more to my collection. I highly recommend it.

Sergei Rachmaninov's Steinway still sits in the study of his former Villa Senar, in Switzerland. It is in this study, and on this piano, that Mikhail Pletnev performed for Deutche Grammophon in the summer of 1998.

Pletnev's gentle, yet commanding touch on Rachmaninov's Variations on a Theme of Corelli, op.42 and 4 Etudes-Tableaux, at times evokes images of the master himself. Although the disc begins and ends with these Rachmaninov works, Pletnev provides impressive measures of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin in between.

But perhaps the most memorable moments come during Chopin's Grande Polonaise brillante. At times, Pletnev's masterful touch sweeps us through the piece with a speed and brilliance that are nothing less than breathtaking. Murray Perahia's 1989 Sony recording of Chopin's F-minor Concerto No. 2 for piano and orchestra, op.21, offers similar light-handed acrobatics, particularly in the Larghetto, but with this Grande Polonaise, Pletnev truly exceeds.

In all, this disc is a real treasure.

The full-bodied tone of Rachmaninov's restored grand is fabulous, but the real showcase is Pletnev's engaging pianism. The Corelli variations are arguably the best on record due to the artist's variegated tonal palette and articulation. The Beethoven and Chopin are given atypical performances ("fussy" comes to mind when hearing "Das Lebewohl's" second movement), but the poise and energy are exemplary. The Mendelssohn is a surprise: models of sheer control coupled with elegance (desert island material!). The remaining Rachmaninov fillers are masterfully executed, although it must be said that the concluding e-flat minor etude-tableau is bloodlessly dispatched. Worth it for the Corelli and Mendelssohn alone.

Two other reviewers share my experience of abandoning the quirky, self-will Pletnev for a time, only to find that his Carnegie Hall recital and this CD dedicated to Rachmaninov are startlingly good. Pletnev avoids all perversity and lets his originality shine through. His eading of Rachmaninov's Corelli Variations is a triumph: he makes it sound more Corelli than Rachmaninov by using so little pedal and articulating the notes as cleanly as possible. As a result, their is much more elan and lightness than one usually hears: this is the only version that didn't bore me after ten minutes.

Except for his Waldstein Sonata from Carnegie Hall, I've found Pletnev's Beethoven finicky, self-conscious, and willful to the point of preciousness. The "les Adieuz" sonata asks for simplicity of utterance, which Pletnev doesn't havee, but as another reviewer notes, this reading is respectful to the point of chasteness. Luckily, I hear some of Pletnev's patented agogic phrasing that throws you off balance when he developes a melodic line, so there's a bit of flavor here. As always with his Beethoven, the articulation is sparkling and cleaan.

Pletnev specializes in Chopin, and his readings can be maddeningly individual--he's never met a rhythm he couldn't twist around his quirky fingers--but here the Andate spiniato becomes quite touching and engrossing. The Polonaise is very freely expressed, which you will either appreciate as the esesence of Chopin or find irritatingly wayward. I couldn't decide. The recital concludes with Pletnev's unsentimental, crytal clear Rachmaninov, which I personally find veyr refreshing.

In sum, I'd recommend this CD to any other listener who needs to be reminded of Pletnev's innate skill, which is immense, and his musicality, which impresses me deeply whenever I can manage to connect with it.

The controversial genius Michael Pletnev is right at home in these superb performances on Rachmaninoffs piano of music by Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin, all of which have been beautifully recorded.In fact, Pletnevs technique, which is awesome yet never exhibitionistic, combined with a vivid imagination, may spoil you.Chopins Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise as well as the Beethoven and Mendelssohn are to my taste the best performances of those works I have ever heard.Surprisingly in the Rachmaninoff Corelli Variations I still prefer Howard Shelleys brilliance and power which uncannily sounds like young Ashkenazy.The Etudes Tableaux featured here have been recorded by Horowitz and Richter, and once again I prefer their electricity, power and strength.The Etude Tableaux opus 39 no.5 was also an encore during Pletnevs Carnegie Hall recital where I believe he was more inspired and plays it second to no one.Here its a bit tamed.Still, Pletnev is a genius, of that there can be no doubt.If you love this CD as I do, you should consider getting his DVD of the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini with the Berlin Philharmonic under Claudio Abaddo.(see; Berlin Philharmonic New Years Gala 1997)Hopefully this great artist will start playing Ravel so he can win another Grammy.