Luiza Borac's disc
of Enescu (AV0013) caused quite a critical
stir. Here is another disc, this time
linking Schubert and Liszt under the
umbrella of 'Wanderer'. Unfortunately
I have not heard the Enescu all the
way through, but from the present evidence
Borac is an extremely gifted player
of no mean technique.
Avie's presentation
is excellent. The booklet includes informed
notes by Stephen Pettitt as well as
the reproduction, with translations,
of the texts of Wanderer (used for Schubert's
D493) and the Petrarch Sonnet No. 123.
Both point towards more care than is
the norm from most other companies in
this area.
The Wanderer Fantasy
is well-trodden territory. The recording
needs more depth at higher dynamic levels
yet it is nicely rounded elsewhere on
the dynamic spectrum. Borac is arresting,
right from the start, pacing well and
with good articulation. It is her slow
movement that is most successful. Daringly
slow and distinctly grief-laden, this
is interior Schubert playing as it should
be. The Scherzo has a nice rhythmic
bounce, while the fast finale is actually
fairly jubilant. The real rhythmic impetus
prevents it from being mere show.
The Petrarch Sonnet
123 comes across as nicely dreamy
without losing any definition. Borac's
filigree is simply lovely and her interpretation
exudes repose; her right-hand legato
really sings.
The Dante Sonata
is an even more daunting proposition
than the Wanderer Fantasy. Once
again Borac's opening is there to grab
you, and once more her attack is commendably
clean. This is exciting playing, even
if it does not quite lead one to the
gates of Hell. Borac emphasises the
lyric here, although that should not
suggest that this is in any sense a
technique-determined decision. There
is much magic here, and I was particularly
impressed by her octave 'recitatives'
(c. 9'35).
The terrifying difficulties
of Venezia e Napoli seem tamed
here, as Borac revels in the almost
nostalgic elements. The first piece
('Gondoliera') has the melody emerging
naturally from its watery surroundings.
Borac brings out the simplicity of the
melody. The 'Canzone’ is pure Liszt
in the declamatory fragments against
tremolandi; the finale (full ten minutes
long) is Lisztian activity at its most
typical and also at its greatest. Borac
captures the cascades versus chordal
replies passage simply beautifully,
imbuing the whole with a liquid flow,
and rising naturally to the climax.
Finally, more water
in the form of the fountains at the
Villa d'Este. I have to confess that
sometimes I think this is a better piece
than Ravel's better-known Jeux d'eau.
Liszt's work embodies the very essence
of this more delicate side of his persona;
the other side emerges in pieces like
the Dante Sonata. Borac is intensely
musical; there's just a touch of awkwardness
in left-hand trills, but that aside
this is memorable playing.
An interesting disc,
then. Borac is a player of much imagination
and integrity.
Colin Clarke
Luiza Borac (piano) 
AVIE AV2061 [66:04]
