Joyce Hatto’s Chopin
solo series just gets better and better.
The third volume takes in the Scherzos
and the F minor Fantasy as well as the
A minor Bolero. All are played with
the kind of poetic touch that admirers
have long found in her playing – and
none is compromised by any kind of routine
or exaggeration. It’s difficult to talk
of naturalness of phrasing and evenness
of production allied to a singing rounded
tone without lapsing into meaningless
superlatives – but it really is so.
Her B minor Scherzo
is delightfully sculpted and manages
to weld expressive contours together
firmly but pliantly. If your Gold Standard
here is Rubinstein you will find Hatto
consistently slower than his 1959 set
and it’s maybe only here that I missed
his weight of incision especially as
regards the slower section. But how
well – how very well – she catches and
characterises the B flat minor – where
the stormy petrel is balanced by the
quizzical glance and the lyrical bloom
and all are judiciously weighted by
Hatto. She uses quite an elastic rubato
in this Scherzo but her tone here is
really beautiful, the touch soft and
yet febrile, the grandeur brought out
with oratorical flourish.
The C sharp minor features
more exceptional playing – such assurance
and clarity of passagework and no technical
hindrances between conception and execution
– or none at least that are allowed
to communicate themselves to the listener.
The Fantasy shows once again what a
sage and unflashy musician she is –
and one who never descends to the level
of Chopin clinicians who simply reel
off notes by the yard. Phrases arch,
paragraphs mould and the tone is unfailingly
warm. The Bolero is a very pleasant
piece to hear in the context – lively
with full weight of rhythm.
Sound quality is remarkably
consistent across the three recording
dates, though the location remains the
accustomed Cambridge studio. Most impressive.
Jonathan Woolf
Concert
Artist complete catalogue available
from MusicWeb International
Joyce Hatto (piano) 
