It’s twenty years since Earl Wild set down these recordings of
a composer not perhaps much associated with him – though surely
a Rachmaninovian of such distinction should enjoy similar stylistic
assurance in a composer Rachmaninov esteemed higher than any of
his contemporaries. It was originally issued on Chesky
and reissued on that label [AD1] in the late 1990s.
Wild brings a lexicon
of pianistic skill and sensitivity to bear on these works. In
the case of the Sonate-Idylle he also brings his accustomed
sensitivity and leonine power. He’s been accorded a rather cavernous
acoustic, to which I happen to be antipathetic, but there’s
not much to be done about it now, and remastering can’t ameliorate
the problem. It does at least confer a slightly distant, halo
effect to the music making. Compared to a contemporary klaviertiger
such as Hamelin we find that Wild is altogether more straightforward
and linear in his approach. Hamelin’s rubati are distinctive
but somewhat invasive in the opening Pastorale, though the clear,
detailed sound is a definite plus for those who prefer greater
clarity and texture. I do prefer the greater warmth Wild brings
to the second of the two movements; he stresses the wholesomeness
and nobility of the writing and despite the swimmy acoustic
I find that his refusal to fuss over details – as Hamelin can
and does – pays rich dividends.
The charming portraits
enshrined in the Second Improvisation reveal Wild the colourist
and painterly wit, almost as much as they do the composer. The
bell chimes are subtly evoked in Meditation where luminous
voicings course throughout the brief span, whereas the sturdy
march of Fancies contrasts nicely with the dynamism and
fervour of The Tumult of the Crowd. The Orthodox Church
saturates Incantation – very Mussorgskian and grand -
and there’s ferment in Bad Weather. All these miniatures
are played with tremendous verve and assurance.
Finally there is
Vergessene Weisen (Forgotten Melodies) written c.1920. Rachmaninovian
– maybe that should be Medtneresque - chordal power is unleashed
in the first of them - the control of the ascents and descents
of the music, and its wave-making incessant beauty, is spellbindingly
done. Wild takes a reflective line in the Romanza, much
more so than Hamelin, though he never loses the spine of the
music. The melodic lines of Primavera are brought out
with rich succour. Hamelin is good here but he doesn’t sing
out as effusively as Wild and his rubati are more obviously
explicit once again. Just the right sense of intimacy and warmth
– all very naturally phrased – informs the Canzona. Both
Geoffrey Tozer (Chandos) and Hamelin (Hyperion) take different
points of view from Wild in the Sonata tragica. The former two
see things more decisively and intensely whilst Wild is more
content to stress the melancholia and is therefore slower and
less explicitly exciting.
Throughout Wild
proves a formidable champion of Medtner’s music. True the recording
is a handicap but the musicianship frequently convinces us of
his identification with the caprice, the power, the legend,
the introspection and the fancy of these pieces.
Jonathan Woolf
Earl Wild (piano)
