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Paul Pabst: Paraphrases on Themes by Tchaikovsky

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This is my first attempt at a review. I bought this CD for the Eugen Onegin and Queen of Spades paraphrases (which were items in Rachmaninov's repetoire). I am not a musician. I am a diligent classical music listener. I rarely hear the differences/nuances between performances of music that are often debated here in reviews of other CDs. The Bosendorfer piano sound is gorgeous. However,the five cuts on this CD are deplorably played in my opinion. I understand that these paraphrases are difficult pieces to play, but at many places, I hear what seems to be a struggling amateur laboring to get through it. The tempo is agonizingly slow which destroys the melodic continuity. The Eugen Onegin paraphrase runs about five minutes longer than the same piece as played by Ponti on an old VOX issue. I think the performer is playing all the notes but the phrasing is ragged, the fingering of trills, arpeggios and runs are irregular, and the sound gets very muddy at several places where all the notes seem to get played with the same intensity. It's almost like listening to someone practicing a piece slowly in order to work out the fingering and phrasing. If I could return this item, I would.

Pavel or "Paul" Pabst (1854-1897) is one of those Romantic pianist-composers who has been largely ignored by music historians and classical listeners. Like Tausig, Thalberg, Henselt, and Anton Rubinstein, he has written a bulk of substantial piano works which would add nicely to the popular repertoire. Sadly, though, he is confined to obscurity. Pabst might very well be a sort of Russian version of the "Abbe" Liszt: he had scores of famous pupils under his tutelage at the Moscow Conservatory including Liapunov and Medtner, and with this recording, I'm convinced that Pabst equals Liszt in paraphrase-writing.

Since Amazon doesn't list the works featured on this recording, here is what you get:

* Grande Paraphrase de concert on themes of "Eugen Onegin" Op. 81
* Berceuse Op. 16 No. 1 (piano transcription)
* Illustrations on themes from "Queen of Spades"
* Fantasy on themes from "Mazeppa" Op. 83
* Concert paraphrase on themes from "Sleeping Beauty"

I've heard the Eugen Onegin and Sleeping Beauty paraphrases before. And I'm less enamored with Bobrovnikova's slow tempi and histrionic phrasing of these two. Despite this, I believe these paraphrases are stunningly rich and melodious virtuosic works, exemplifying Pabst's imaginative composing mind and pianistic daring. Liszt would have approved of his orchestral conceptions in piano composing. However, for far better renditions of these paraphrase jewels, I encourage the exploration into two other recordings: for the Sleeping Beauty paraphrase, I must vouch for the Earl Wild: Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions recording. For a much more engrossing Eugen Onegin paraphrase, Michael Ponti delivers in his Operatic Piano recording.

Since I have no comparisons for the other three works here, I can only praise them to the skies. Pabst's piano transcription of Tchaikovsky's Berceuse, or "Cradle Song" Op. 16 is a mesmerizing and haunting permeation of music. I've recently heard Tchaikovsky's own transcription of this piece on the Naxos label's Tchaikovsky: Piano Music, Vol.2. I don't know if it was Yablonskaya's fast and uninterested playing that left no impression upon me, but Bobrovnikova's meditative introspection and eerily slow performance brings out the best in this work. Pabst's greatest showcases, however, are the two large operatic Reminiscences. The first, the whopping 18 minute Illustrations on themes from Tchaikovsky's "Queen of Spades" is a kaleidoscope of ideas, a tumultuous emotional journey, and an invigorating pianistic tour-de-force. In the central section, Bobrovnikova evokes gushing passion with the heavily romantic theme, akin to something from Bellini's Casta Diva or Wagner's Liebestod. Pabst's pianistic treatment of this heart-felt theme is satisfyingly similar to Liszt's devices in his own transcriptions, sonorous and heavily-textured.

Equally fantastic is Pabst's Fantasy on Tchaikovsky's "Mazeppa" which is as dramatic as any Liszt Reminiscence. From the bombastic opening to the tender arpeggios that ensue a few minutes later, the music is captivating. Pabst's connecting material and fashioning together of Tchaikovsky's melodies are clearly skillful. His creative intermezzi and narrative approach to the themes distinguish this work apart from the vapid potpourri's out there. Tchaikovsky's ideas were potent enough, but Pabst's virtuosic brilliance and fiery interpretations of these ideas makes for a splendid piano fantasy.

Bottom line: Paul Pabst offers stupefying drama and exquisite beauties in his paraphrases. Research into this neglected composer has been limited, but I hope to see more performers tackle his music. Although there were two pieces here that I felt could be played better, I must submit to the extraordinary powers of Pabst's Berceuse transcription and the Illustrations on "Queen of Spades." These are fine additions to the piano repertoire and should be played more often.