This most attractive disc shows yet again that
Hummel's vein of contemplative virtuosity ran deep. At seven
he became Mozart's pupil, later studying composition with Salieri
and organ with Haydn, absorbed the influence of Beethoven and
came to be himself the object of admiration from a succeeding
generation. The works recorded here are well chosen to show
Hummel's gifts as lyricist, quasi-improvisator, virtuoso and
composer of the highest quality. A portentous semi-improvised
theme opens the op 49 Caprice; with operatic flourishes and
novel ornamentation the work exploits dynamic gradients and
dance rhythms to splendid effect. Hummel's obviously virtuosic
talents were invariably compatible with a lyrico-contemplative
impulse and toward the end of the piece <sample 1> we
can hear his reflective telescoped recapitulation of the earlier
adagio section that then gallops through to the coda at the
top end of the treble. The Gluck variations are a surpassingly
clever set which exploits subtle rhythmic changes and differing
registers. These, fused with imitative passages and colouristic
playfulness, lend a riotously eventful air to a piece that,
even here, evinces a yet subtler character. There is in Hummel
a foreshadowing of Chopin or, more generally, a kind of Proto-Romanticism
that is almost unsettlingly attractive <sample 2> and
it runs throughout his music, though most particularly his solo
piano music. The three Bagatelles played here are uneven in
quality but strong on character. The first, a Scherzo, is brisk
and classically imitative in Hummel's best style whilst the
fifth is nobly contrapuntal and somewhat attractively aloof.
It is the third, however, La Comptemplazione, that is
the greatest of them and one of the highlights of the disc.
Its a richly chromatic and searchingly romantic piece with layered
decorative passagework and moments of remarkable expressivity
<sample 3>. Haydnesque in its thematic points of reference
it is a really beautiful piece in its own right and deserves
a place centrally in the repertoire. He was always far more
than a virtuoso. LAutrichienne thrives on graciously
rolled chords and is a sly and winningly humorous stylised Viennese
waltz. The contrastive folk section fills out the texture nicely.
The op 11 Rondo is one work of Hummel's that gained currency
amongst pianists and was something of a staple for players of
the Golden Age. Humorous and conversational it makes for sparkling
playing. The Polonaises long line is evidence of Hummel's lyrical
gifts and the storm tossed Beethovenian episode contrasts nicely
with the pensive minor key section. Throughout the Cracow born
pianist Joanna Trzeciak brings real insight, feasting on the
folk and Polish dance rhythms elegantly embedded into the syntax
of the music. Her phrasing is good, ornaments apposite and her
rubato sparing. Maybe her runs in the Polonaise could be more
fearless; I also felt that the fifth Bagatelle would go better
at a fractionally faster tempo. The sound itself is somewhat
clangourous and not of ideal clarity but hardly enough to withhold
recommendation to a disc that should win Hummel friends, and
admirers.
Jonathan Woolf
Joanna Trzeciak,
piano 