Applause
ripples through Carnegie Hall, and the music begins – just
a little too soon. A moment or two more of that anticipatory
atmosphere would have done no harm on a 34 minute disc. Never
mind, the magic spell of Schubert’s D940 Fantasie is one
which has held me for a long time, and Murray Perahia and
Radu Lupu’s 1985 recording has been a ‘Desert Island Disc’ for
almost as long as I can remember – something which has more
to do with my drinking habits than my age. Perahia and Lupu
perform the work as intended, on one piano. Kissin and Levine
have the luxury of a piano each, and the booklet amusingly
gives one of the reasons for this as giving ‘a certain degree
of comfort.’ “They couldn’t fit behind one keyboard!” my
mate Johan the piano guffawed, but not so: I have seen a
broadcast with Levine playing two pianos, eight hands - a
good trick if you can do it - and admiring his economical
performing style and apparently effortless technique. The
two pianos in this recording do make quite a difference to
the music however. Normally one player would control the
sustaining pedal, but now of course there are two completely
independent pedals. The climaxes are also far more orchestral
in effect, with the extra dynamic of two pianos providing
much more of a kick, and with the two players separated left
and right, there is also a greater definition of each part.
Listening carefully, one wonders sometimes how two players
sitting next to each other at one keyboard ever manage it,
such is the fullness of each part on occasion.
I
must admit to liking this approach. It supplements an understanding
of this wonderful piece in so many ways, and Kissin and Levine
are on top form. The performance is a little brisker [18:45]
than Perahia/Lupu [19:18] and possibly a little less poetic,
certainly less intimate – but this is what you would expect
from a live performance in such a space. The drama of the
moments just before the final, tragic coda are monumental,
and almost worth the price of this disc on their own.
The Allegro D947
is another rave performance of a superb piece. The opening
hits like the slap of an Atlantic wave, and fully justifies
the over-used ‘orchestral’ description. The subsequent counterpoint,
rolling accompaniments and melodic phrases are a joy to behold,
full of lightness and contrast of touch. Schubert’s bitter-sweet
harmonic changes have rarely sounded so affecting to me:
Kissin and Levine know exactly when to pull the listener
forward in his seat, carrying the sometimes startling changes
forward sotto voce, ready to apply the full g-force
when required.
The
second CD begins with the ‘Grand Duo’ D812, which I know
can be summed up by the phrase ‘it goes on a bit’ - I can
hear my father saying it now - but like many such marathon
masterpieces it has to be listened to properly to extract
all of the Schubertian goodness within. The piece was written
while staying at the Esterházy estate, away from Vienna,
after a period of illness in which Schubert was confronted
with periods of depression and despair. Schumann was for
a long time convinced that the work was an arrangement of
a symphony, describing some of the orchestrations as he heard
them. The piece has indeed been given a number of orchestral
arrangements, and benefits greatly from the colourful setting
provided by Kissin and Levine. The only possible argument
against the grand scale of this two piano performance is
that it elbows its way out of Schubert’s traditional environment;
the intimate setting of the private household. This may be
true, but the remarkable nature of so much of Schubert’s
chamber music was always destined to be recognised outside
restricted circles of friends and admirers. Presented with
such a joyous and refined recording I can’t imagine him rending
his garments in distress!
After
the long but satisfying sit of the Sonata in C, there are
the welcome after-dinner sweets of two marches: the energetic
D968b, and the amusing Military March No.1, which has a Gottschalk
swing to it which closes this concert in cracking style.
I can imagine the buskers outside Carnegie Hall doing very
well that evening, with the audience leaving in high spirits.
This
is a superb issue. The recording is outstanding, and the
audience extremely well behaved, with hardly any coughing
and no troublesome bumps or crashes. The Grand Piano Sound
fills Carnegie Hall completely. The energy and spirit of
these live performances have that quality of uniqueness which
means they can take pride of place alongside any studio recording
one can name – not necessarily replacing them, but often
more likely to be chosen for a spin if the truth be known.
Dominy Clements
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Evgeny
Kissin (piano) 
