Modest MUSSORGSKY (1839-1881)
Pictures from an Exhibition
(1874) [33:01]
Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)
Miroirs
(1904-1905) [27:43]
Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
Cantéyodjayâ
(1949) [12:21]
Peter Donohoe (piano)
rec. 2018, Cedars Hall, Wells Cathedral School, Somerset, UK
Reviewed as a 24/96 download from
hyperion-records.co.uk
Pdf booklet included
SIGNUM RECORDS SIGCD566
[73:18]
I first encountered pianist Peter Donohoe in the Tchaikovsky concertos,
recorded with Rudolf Barshai and the Bournemouth Symphony in 1987/88; those
remain very competitive (EMI-Warner). However, it was his 1988 Proms
account of the Busoni concerto, with the BBCSO under Sir Mark Elder, that
really took my breath away (EMI-Warner). Indeed, in my recent
review of the Kirill Gerstein/Sakari Oramo/Boston Symphony recording
of that piece, I was pleased to confirm Donohoe’s barnstorming version is
still out in front. Fast forward to 2013, and I much admired his Prokofiev
sonatas, the first tranche of which which I made a Recording of the Month (Somm). Alas, his most recent album, the Shostakovich concertos with
David Curtis and the Orchestra of the Swan, was a major disappointment (Signum). Then again, that was also due to lacklustre accompaniment and one rather
dubious venue.
Donohoe can certainly hold his own in Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, but he
faces formidable competition in Mussorgsky. Most of the pianists I’ve heard
treat Pictures like a scintillating showpiece, its vibrant colours
and varied subjects a gift to exhibitionists of another sort. From the
outset, though, it’s clear that Donohoe is not of their ilk, preferring
instead to major in clarity and detail. Mike Hatch and James Waterhouse’s
bright, clear recording is an asset in that respect, for it helps to bring
the score’s inner workings into sharp relief. Happily, it’s forensic but
not fatiguing, and there’s enough here to please those jaded by the work’s
ubiquity. Most important, Donohoe treats Pictures like the solo
piece it is, and doesn’t attempt to mimic the weight and scale of the
subsequent orchestrations. Ravel’s in particular. That pays dividends in
Mussorgsky’s more crystalline passages, but anyone expecting added
thrill/heft in The Great Gate at Kiev may feel a tad
underwhelmed.
Not a top-notch Pictures, but not a dud, either. In fact, one might
want to play Miroirs first, if only to underline just how Ravelian
Donohoe makes the Mussorgsky sound. A neat reversal, perhaps, given the
Frenchman’s famous orchestration. One might reasonably expect this pianist
to deliver alert, insightful readings of the five pieces that make up Miroirs, yet I found myself yearning for a bit more sparkle here.
Again, these are decent performances, but for imagination and a sure sense
of style Steven Osborne’s recording, part of a superbly recorded 2-CD
set, is
hard to beat (Hyperion
CDA67731/2). As for Messiaen’s Cantéyodjayâ,
based on Hindu rhythms, it needs to be more incisive - more idiomatic - than it is here. Indeed, one need only listen to Håkon
Austbø, a specialist in this repertoire, to realise how this finely crafted
piece should go (Naxos 8.554090).
Donohoe’s Mussorgsky has its moments, but his Ravel and Messiaen are
unremarkable; fair to middling sound.
Dan Morgan
