Retrieval of Fiorentino’s
legacy continues apace, not least from
Concert Artist who have given us a fine
slice of his repertoire in recent years.
Apart from the Polonaises Fiorentino
prepared this programme for a series
of BBC recitals that never transpired.
The recording locations tell the story
of the pianist’s busy concert career
and the company’s attempts to record
him on the wing – but despite the different
locations the remastering is not at
all troublesome and one can listen with
pleasure and without acoustic leaps
and lurches.
Fiorentino plays Chopin’s
early C minor Sonata with aristocratic
discretion. He cultivates a fine sense
of direction in the opening Allegro
maestoso, chords well balanced,
animating left hand figures securely
in place. He’s appositely playful in
the second movement, seemingly uncovering
the little waltz theme that’s embedded
within it as if unnoticed, and whilst
the Larghetto might be slight in length
Fiorentino conjures persuasive, never
over scaled, sonorities from it. He’s
on fine form as well in the slightly
distended Rondo finale; dynamics increase
appropriately and he brings out the
martial figures and the immediately
following conciliatory gestures with
real acumen. His rhythm is delightfully
insouciant.
The rest of the programme
covers some seldom-explored waters.
The Rondo in C major was published as
late as 1954 and is better known in
its two piano incarnation. It’s quite
a tough work to get around but Fiorentino
never overplays his hand and never thunders
in imitation of his amputated partner.
Instead there’s fine style and a sure
architectural cogency, as ever with
Fiorentino. The E flat Rondo (Introduction
and Rondo) is technically and expressively
demanding and hasn’t been much taken
up. Fiorentino in no way stints the
taxing finger complexities but he succeeds
in stressing the charm and affectionate
lyricism those courses through it. His
passagework is clean and crisp, balance
between the two hands is splendid and
he doesn’t put the Rondo under too much
pedal – altogether a fine performance.
The Variations from Hérold’s
opera Ludovic (eventually completed
by Halévy) were published in
1833 - just listen to Fiorentino’s pellucid
charm from 4.10.
The Allegro de Concert
is all that remains of a projected third
piano concerto – either for two pianos
or a single one. Chopin started it around
1832 but put it aside, returning to
it periodically. As Concert Artist’s
note writer justly observes this is
a more rugged approach than he’d taken
in the earlier works; I think there’s
something Schumannesque about it as
well – parts of it reminded me of Carnival.
There are plenty of filigree trills,
thick drive alternating with staccato
chords and a splendid control of the
tutti passages that are invariably part
of the fabric of the score. The recital
is happily book ended by two Polonaises
– the opening A major is the weakest
thing on the disc, too slow, literal
and unvaried and over pedalled – but
the A flat is really first class with
crispness, buoyancy and a perfect tempo.
Just the way in fact to end a recital
of unexpected and little known pleasure.
Jonathan Woolf
Concert
Artist complete catalogue available
from MusicWeb International
Sergio Fiorentino (piano) 
