This is an outstanding
recording, and I would expect nothing
less from Burkard Schliessmann who is
one of the most compelling pianists
of our time. With a fabulous technique,
superb musical instincts, and a truly
inquisitive nature leading to distinctive
interpretations based on extensive cultural
and biographical research, Schliessmann
blends the most rewarding aspects of
an intellectual and intuitive approach
to all the music he performs. When a
new recording from an artist such as
Murray Perahia is released, we have
a fairly good idea how he will play
the music based on past recordings and
concert appearances. With a few recordings
for Bayer under his belt, the primary
insight we have concerning Schliessmann
is that he will take a highly individualized
path like the trail-blazing pianists
of the early 20th century combined with
the superior technical wizardry of the
21st century pianist.
That Schliessmann is
his own man is not unexpected given
that his teacher was Shura Cherkassky.
In all of Schliessmann's recordings
he explores colors and textures, often
defying expectations with a patience
and maturity well beyond his young-adult
status. The eminent music critic Harold
Schonberg has called Schliessmann's
playing "representative of the best
of the modern school". My view is that
Schliessmann's artistry bears a striking
resemblance to some of the pianistic
titans including Alfred Cortot and Walter
Gieseking.
Schliessmann's new
disc programs seven of Chopin's most
popular and large-scale piano works.
Each is wide in architectural design
and displays great depth and diversity
of emotional content. Worthy performances
must reveal the most tender and poignant
moments as well as the passages of tremendous
energy, strength and urgency. Most important,
the logic and cohesion of the myriad
themes cannot be forgotten as they merge
into a magnificent tapestry that needs
every musical strand to play its role.
Burkard Schliessmann
is more than up to the task of giving
the full measure of the above qualities.
He has a vision for each work that insures
a sense of inevitability and overall
scope. His pin-point articulation is
so well projected that even the most
caressing notes and phrases have a strength
rarely encountered in other recorded
versions of these works. Schliessmann's
sonority and supple phrasing are reminiscent
of the legendary Claudio Arrau, and
his inflections emit great meaning.
Perhaps most impressive are the lower
voices that are consistently given a
granite-like edifice with wonderful
clarity and contribution toward the
overall coherence of each work on the
program. Here are just a few highlights
of the disc that I have kept to a minimum
in the interest of not being overly
redundant:
Ballade in G minor
- Schliessmann immediately sets his
own course in the first subject where
he uses rather demonstrative pauses
between motifs instead of legato transitioning.
I had never heard the work played in
this manner, and the initial effect
can be startling. However, it soon becomes
clear that Schliessmann is adding another
emotional and structural layer to the
music that enriches it through heightened
contrast with the traditionally melancholy
and smooth flowing lines.
Ballade in F major
- I do not believe there is any music
more serene and comforting than the
F major's first subject. Schliessmann
offers wonderfully lilting phrasing
that seems to make time stand still
while also conveying a sense of spiritual
closure. The subsequent angst and power
of the succeeding themes has a spell-binding
effect from Schliessmann with a magnificently
stern quality and tremendous bass strokes
that growl in exquisite detail from
their foundation.
Ballade in F minor
- Never before have I been so strongly
aware of the pent-up human urges that
are seething below the music's surface
but taking so long to erupt. With incisive
inflections and powerful bass lines,
Schliessmann offers a potent balance
of voices that allows Chopin's tension
and full breadth of emotional content
their full measure. Every time I listen
to the performance, I am on the edge
of my seat waiting anxiously for fulfillment.
Fantaisie in F minor
- I am always a little disappointed
when a Chopin recital does not include
the Fantaisie in F minor, because I
consider it the composer's greatest
large-scale piano work with its constant
and transcendent invention. Whatever
you might want from a romantic-era piano
composition, the Fantaisie has it all
including a strong capacity for narrative
examination. Perhaps most important
is the intense heroism that permeates
the work; even the prayer-like intermezzo
is delivered by a proud and confident
personality.
I find the Fantaisie
the best Schliessmann performance on
the program. His total command of the
idiom never lets us forget that heroism
is at the center of the work, and his
narration is clear and rich. Also, I
detect some strong anger and brutality
in the interpretation, more than in
other versions I have heard. Once acclimated,
these additional layers of meaning enhance
the sweep and narrative properties of
the work.
The disc's sound quality
is exceptional in the standard CD format
with a rich, well detailed and resonant
environment. In the multi-channel format,
the sound is fantastic; the breadth
of the recording opens up and reveals
nuances and meanings not available in
the standard format. However, I do want
to emphasize that readers who have not
yet taken advantage of the SACD format
should not be wary of acquiring the
disc. Put simply, the superb Schliessmann
performances shine through regardless
of the equipment at hand.
I listened to many
comparative Chopin recordings in reviewing
the Schliessmann disc, giving particular
note to the recent discs of the Ballades
from Stephen Hough on Hyperion and Stefen
Vladar on Harmonia Mundi. At no time
did Schliessmann's interpretations take
a back seat to any of the comparison
discs, and the narrative scope and vision
he gives the Four Ballades far surpasses
the episodic qualities of the Hough
and Vladar performances.
In conclusion, I consider
the Schliessmann disc an essential acquisition
for piano enthusiasts. He challenges
our perceptions of the great classical
piano works and gives us illuminating
performances of exceptional pianism.
I also strongly recommend that readers
investigate his other Bayer recordings,
each one as superb as the Chopin offering.
Personally, I would love to hear Schliessmann's
way in Bach and Shostakovich keyboard
works with their intense contrapuntal
leanings. In the meantime, any disc
from Schliessmann is a treasure to experience.
Don Satz
Burkard Schliessmann, piano 
BAYER
RECORDS BR 100 348 CD [70:54] 