It’s salutary to realise that this is now the tenth volume in
Hyperion’s ‘Piano Transcriptions’ series, one that is proving
outstanding in every way. Whereas volume nine was devoted to
transcriptions by a phalanx of British composers — Berners,
Goossens, Howells, Fryer, Bax, Borwick, Bantock.— this one concentrates
on two Frenchmen. The majority of works are from the two sets
of transcriptions published by Saint-Saëns, but there are also
two big Bach-Vivaldi transcriptions by the great pianist Isidore
Philipp.
Saint-Saëns’ transcriptions were published in 1862 and 1873
and were clearly helpful in propagating Bach’s works domestically
and professionally in France. They are also stunningly impressive
in their own right. For both sets he chose music from cantatas,
and solo violin works. The earlier set opens with the Ouverture
from Cantata No. 29 in which Nadejda Vlaeva displays a splendid
sense of colour and rhythmic energy, applying bass accenting
with apposite weight and voicing appealingly. The Adagio
from Cantata No. 3 is full of expression and then pealing
vehemence, Saint-Saëns exploiting the rapid oscillation between
the two for its full effect. The richly plangent Andantino
from Cantata No.8 is one of the disc’s highlights. The single
movements from the First Violin Partita and the Second Violin
Sonata are deftly played, and fully assured contrapuntally.
As ever Saint-Saëns knows how to end a sequence and as with
his fabulous Études, he ends the first set with a scintillating
transcription of the Presto from Cantata No.35.
For the later set he took the Fugue from the Third Sonata
for Violin, adding its Largo for good measure — and there’s
plenty of panache and bravado here, and effulgence in the latter
movement. The piece that ends this second set, the Choeur
from Cantata No.30, is textually quite thick, and genuinely
celebratory.
Isidore Philipp (1863-1958) was a friend of Saint-Saëns, and
a most distinguished musician in his own right. In 1935 he recorded
some of his friend’s cello music with Paul Bazelaire, a disc
still available on Pearl. His rich, powerful transcriptions
of the two Bach (after Vivaldi) concertos are resplendent, exciting,
virtuosically inclined in their extrovert intensity, and their
richly refined and rewarding slow movements. Their confidence,
dramatic octave doublings, and swagger, make for blistering,
and wholly marvellous listening.
As ever Hyperion’s booklet is first class in all respects and
the recorded sound is perfectly judged.
Bulgarian pianist Nadejda Vlaeva proves a heroic interpreter
of these works, driving through with panache, rounded tone,
richly balanced chords, strikingly intimate gestures and intense,
but never tone-forced, splendour.
Jonathan Woolf
Nadejda Vlaeva (piano) 
