Frideric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Twenty-Four Preludes, Op. 28 (1836-1839) [37.41]
Nocturne No. 1, Op. 9, No. 1 (1830) [6:31]
Nocturne No. 2, Op. 9, No. 3 (1830) [4:49]
Nocturne No. 20, Op. P1, No. 16 (1830) [4:24]
Waltz No. 2, Op. 34, No. 1 (1838) [4:57]
Waltz No. 3, Op. 34, No. 2 (1838) [5:48]
Waltz No. 4, Op. 34, No. 3 (1838) [2:02]
Waltz No. 19, Op. posth. (ca. 1843-1847) [2:17]
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano)
rec. Waltzes: November 1981; Nocturnes, Preludes: March 1987, Tokyo, Japan.
DAL SEGNO DSPRCD060 [73:59]
Some concert pianists have a career that starts like a meteoric flash, and
then dwindles when the artist can’t live up to the initial hype.
Others go on showing music-lovers something new and interesting, throughout
careers that continually seem to take a novel turn. This is the case with
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who turns fifty this year and has been on the scene since
he entered the Lyons Conservatory at the age of five. His career has developed
in many directions, from the conventional world of concerto appearances and
solo recitals to forays into jazz, chamber music and duo performances. Throughout
all this, Thibaudet is a consistently interesting artist who does things his
own way.
He is a brilliant Chopin player, as we see from this reissue of earlier Denon
recordings offering the 24 Preludes, Op. 28, along with a trio of Nocturnes
and a quartet of Waltzes. What distinguishes this compilation from Thibaudet’s
2000 recording, “The Chopin I Love” (another mixed bag of short
pieces), is the 24 Preludes - that landmark work that has attracted the attention
of nearly every major pianist, with a discography to prove it.
Originally recorded for Denon two decades ago, this reissue offers Thibaudet’s
only recording of the Preludes, and they are stunners. Right from the outset,
in a reading of No. 1 that surges and recedes like a small craft on the waves,
he freely tailors the tempo and dynamics to suit his own way. A lot of Thibaudet’s
tempo choices are extremely deliberate. No. 3 is rendered with almost no pedal,
with the glittering passagework revealed in complete clarity. A little idiosyncratic,
yes, but this version is highly persuasive.
Thibaudet never tosses off these Preludes; he likes to take his time. The
wistful little No. 4 is given a thoughtful, probing reading that is almost
half as lengthy again as the recordings by Arrau and Argerich. The famous
“Raindrop” Prelude (No. 15, in D-Flat), both delicate and deliberate,
runs almost eight minutes, to Maurizio Pollini’s five. The “Suicide”
Prelude (No. 18) is just as headlong and as speedy as Evgeny Kissin’s
version, but Thibaudet makes you wait and wait - for about five dramatic seconds
of silence - for the resolution of the final two chords.
The rest of the Thibaudet disc also offers rewards, most notably in his reading
of the lovely little C-Sharp Minor Nocturne (No. 20). Heartfelt, occasionally
bleak, and rendered with the utmost delicacy, this little scene-stealer is
one of the chief joys of this disc.
The overall effect of much of the playing is to let the listener hear “inside”
the music; there’s a transparency about Thibaudet’s approach that
is most effective.
In sum: Chopin devotees won’t want to miss this one.
Melinda Bargreen
www.melindabargreen.com
In sum: Chopin devotees won’t want to miss this one.