This is a recording which starts out being
about the instruments on which it is played, and ends up being more
about the music than anything else. The story goes that Alexei Lubimov
encountered an old Steinway in the Polish Embassy in Brussels which
is said to be the instrument Paderewski played in his recitals, and
its effect on his playing stimulated him to re-think Debussy’s
Préludes entirely, even after 40 years of playing them
both in public and in private. This recording is therefore one performed
on ‘period’ instruments, but listeners need have no fear
of clunky old out-of-tune piles of what my friend Johan the piano calls
‘firewood’. If it were not for the rich timbral effects
of which these instruments are capable, and which seem so in tune with
the vocabulary that Debussy intended for his music and reportedly demonstrated
in his own playing, then we wouldn’t be here at all - at least,
not in the same way. The first thing which strikes you is indeed the
rich piano sound, in the first book of Preludes a 1925 Bechstein which
is “clear, sharply-etched, translucent and light, even in complex
textures”, in the second book Lubimov plays the previously mentioned
1913 Steinway, which he describes as “divinely soft in pianissimo,
resonant and marvellously suitable for unexpected colours.” Both
instruments are heard in the arrangements for two pianos,
Trois Nocturnes
as transcribed by Ravel, and
Prélude à l’après-midi
d’un faune.
I am still highly impressed and somewhat under the spell of Roger Woodward’s
Debussy
Préludes (see
review)
which, lacking extras, fits onto a single disc. Not so long ago I also
chanced upon a copy of Paul Jacobs’s recording on the Nonesuch
label, which is also pretty miraculous, that is, if you can lay your
hands on it. Woodward’s impressionism is heavier on pedalling
than Lubimov, who creates atmosphere as well as maintaining clarity.
This is not to say that Woodward’s playing isn’t clear,
but he keeps us in a state of druggy wonder for longer periods, and
is seemingly reluctant to offer the contrasts of texture which makes
Lubimov more involving in the long run.
Alexei Lubimov might not be quite a household name to many, but he is
widely recognised as an insightful interpreter of classical and baroque
music, as well as being champion of new music, for instance performing
the Moscow premières of new works by Terry Riley and John Cage
as far back as 1968. Lubimov has been a significant interpreter of work
from the former Soviet Union, something in which he and
Roger
Woodward share a common interest.
These Debussy recordings are remarkable for their fidelity to the letter
and the spirit of the composer’s intentions. The opening
Danseuses
de Delphes is quite reserved and simple, and by no means the grandiose
chorale as which it sometimes emerges. I love the way Lubimov brings
out the jazzy elements in
Les collines d’Anacapri, and
his tumultuous
Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest is a genuine
assault on the senses.
Only because I happened to have a score
lying around, I point to
La Cathédrale engloutie from
book 1 of the Preludes as an example of both aspects of Lubimov’s
playing - spirit and letter. Marked
PP, the opening ‘ping’
of the initial chord might seem a little heavy, but it ensures the sustain
which Debussy intends, the gently moving chords which follow creating
the true dynamic. You can really hear the
marqué definition
where it is marked, the low C chimes are really stunning, the rests
in the outer chords just in advance of the
Un peu moins lent
section at 3:06
observed minutely, the subsequent build-up seemingly
defying the decay of each note. The penultimate
echo in advance
of the final coda is gorgeous as well, the memory of the main theme
carried over a rumble of sea in C.
If it’s orchestral piano you are looking for then the duo works
which divide the books of Preludes are something special. Joined by
his student and colleague Alexei Zuev, the
Prélude à
l’après-midi d’un faune in particular is a stunning
example of how far two pianos can go in emulating a full orchestra.
Admittedly it is the imagination, already infused with Debussy’s
superb original orchestration, which adds extra layers of meaning to
these piano sounds, but even without such associations I think we would
accept this as a tremendous evocation and musical statement - perfectly
suited to these instruments.
I have no doubt you could go through every piece and extrapolate significant
observations, but the bottom line is that these are very fine performances
indeed, and these venerable old grand pianos are very much alive and
part of the entire creative process. The Steinway for the second book
of Preludes is rather special indeed, warmly coloured, but with a depth
and breadth of colour which expands the meaning and implication of the
word resonance in this context. There is a fluid connection between
registers in this piano which admits difference and contrast between
low, middle and high, but which also connects and relates each in some
intangible way which seems to set it apart from many a modern instrument.
I am neither for nor against old or new when it comes to instruments
of any kind, but I’ve heard and played enough different pianos
to know how individual and special their characters can be. Here is
a sound in which you can revel just as Lubimov clearly does, and absorb
the different character of Debussy’s works as if by osmosis, from
the melancholy of
Feuilles mortes to the quirky
“Général
Lavine” - eccentric and lampooning of London’s pride
in the
Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C. Yes indeed,
there is great fun to be had here as well as a kind of total immersion
in the shimmering imagery and seriousness of expression in these works
which can sometimes make a rainy day seem even darker and wetter. The
Feux d’artifice with which the cycle finishes is like an
entire re-birth - we can all start re-thinking our Debussy after this
recording, and the goalposts and boundary markers have all been picked
up and moved yet again.
Beautifully presented in stylishly minimalist monochrome and provided
with excellent booklet notes by Jürg Stenzl and a personal comment
by Alexei Lubimov, this is a set to treasure and avoid getting covered
in coffee stains and fingerprints at all costs. It commands respect
and oozes quality on all fronts, and I’m already shortlisting
it for disc of the decade, let alone the year.
Dominy Clements
