The fistful of fantasies
presented here contains one work of
major importance, Schubert's Wanderer.
The rest, although of moderate interest
individually, must be taken as mere
chippings from the composers' workbenches.
Daniel Blanch is a
young pianist with a sound technique
that suits these works well. The piano
is recorded perhaps a little distantly,
giving the sound a touch of frailty,
and for the most part this is not too
displeasing or distracting. But those
that prefer or are used to a fuller
Steinway sound might find it a little
under-powered.
Where the minor works
are concerned Blanch copes not badly
at all. He brings a crispness to Mozart
that is pleasing enough. With the Mozart
fantasias it is immediately apparent
though that K.475 is the most developed
of the given trio, and here Blanch brings
out elements of melancholy, tenderness
and tragedy that are to be found within
its pages. Schubert’s C minor fantasia
(D.993) uses material from Mozart’s
K.475 as the basis of homage from the
14 year old composer. Blanch’s interpretation
draws out the Mozartian source without
undue attention to create a contrast
of sufficient interest.
However, I suspect
that the majority of your interest,
like mine, would be centred on Blanch’s
reading of Schubert's Wanderer. It's
a work in which Blanch is not short
of rivals - and I compared his reading
to Maurizio Pollini’s classic recording.
Like throwing Daniel to a mighty lion
you might be thinking, and indeed this
had occurred to me.
The encounter shows
decisively in Pollini’s favour overall;
no surprises there then – his is after
all a reading I would place amongst
the most persuasive ever recorded. There
are a number of points that I identified
as contributing to this: Pollini’s instrument
has greater presence and cohesion and
the sound aids his already superior
playing skills. Blanch’s passagework
appears somewhat under-projected and
although he brings pace to the work
he does not drive it from inside in
the same sense that Pollini does. Blanch’s
shading is not as daringly played nor
does he make as much logical sense of
the contrasts as Pollini. Perhaps too
late in the day for comparison, I turned
to Sviatoslav Richter’s recording –
another lion roaring in Schubert’s service
– and it too proved dominant over Blanch’s
reading.
Overall I would say
– by other standards – Blanch’s is an
averagely decent performance. Perhaps
in the concert hall, with the impetus
of an audience and the adrenalin flow
of the moment behind him the playing
would grip more than it does here. But
for anyone wanting a recording of the
Wanderer Fantasy great experiences are
to be found elsewhere and Blanch’s valiant
efforts are no challenge to them.
Evan Dickerson
Daniel Blanch (piano) 
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