Sofja Gülbadamova (piano)
Idylle
rec. October 2018, House of Radio, St. Petersburg, Russia
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC HC20047 [77:56]
Russian pianist Sofja Gülbadamova has now released a number of albums. I find her 2018 double CD set of Dohnányi’s solo piano music on Capriccio especially appealing both for her playing and for the choice of high quality, rarely heard works. In her booklet essay, she explains that she has dedicated this new album, Idylle, a collection of nineteen solo piano works and her second for the Hänssler Classic label, to her mentor, the American concert pianist James Tocco.
Many solo piano collections of this type are programmed with the aim of complementing each other in terms of style, era, nationality and maybe mood. Gülbadamova has chosen here a programme consisting of the works of nine composers representing seven different nationalities - a hundred years separate the births of Schubert the earliest composer here from the most recent, Gershwin. She declares that her aim was to provide ‘a dialogue with one’s own soul’ and ‘something very personal’ to her, works to delight and give pleasure, especially in the current circumstances. These sentiments must have been expressed in retrospect as the collection was recorded some months prior to the covid outbreak. For me, its main attractions are the chiefly Romantic/post-Romantic era works plus pieces by Hahn, Prokofiev and Gershwin. Some of them may be termed salon pieces, a label sometimes used disparagingly to denote over-sentimental works of little substance.
The title Idylle, clearly expresses the principal theme of the album and relates to works of a peaceful, pastoral character carrying a sense of joyful innocence. What I find pleasing here is the variety of composers who would not normally be associated such as Glazunov with Gershwin, and Prokofiev with Elgar. This is a mixture of works originally written for solo piano, such as Glazunov’s Idylle and others which are transcriptions for piano, such as Elgar’s Serenade for Strings.
Gülbadamova began her music studies in the city of her birth, Moscow, at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music. She then progressed to the Lübeck Academy of Music, Germany, then the Paris Conservatoire and finally across the city to the Conservatoire ‘Alfred Cortot’ (ENMP). Her formal studies completed and a number of prestigious international prizes under her belt, she has now established a successful international career as a concert pianist, chamber music performer and solo recitalist. She is not a pianist I have encountered in the UK, although a glance through her busy performing schedule shows her as extremely active in Europe, predominantly in Germany, then fewer engagements in Russia, Austria, Switzerland, France et al.
While I acknowledge the concept of the theme of this album, I feel that this type of collection would have worked better with the inclusion of two or three exuberant works to provide some welcome contrast. Standing out is Glazunov’s Idylle from 1926, which in Gülbadamova’s hands is a work of affecting beauty, variegated with veins of exuberance. Moszkowski’s set of piano pieces from his Dix Petits Morceaux provides the second Idylle on this album. Subtitled Waterlilies, it is a very short work full of aching sadness. Elgar provides the third Idylle subtitled Esquisse façile (Easy Sketch). A very early work from 1884 and originally scored for violin or cello with piano, and in this piano transcription it just does not work well for me here, as it loses impact without the violin or cello part. On the other hand, Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, in Malcolm Kenzie’s piano reduction, is a real discovery. In this transcription Gülbadamova is entirely responsive to the varying moods of the three-movement score. The effect of the main theme in the opening Allegro piacevole stands up remarkably well, although its renowned blustery character perhaps emerges less successfully. Especially memorable is the engrossing intimacy of Gülbadamova’s playing in the beautiful Larghetto.
In the notes, Gülbadamova describes how James Tocco, using Earl Wild’s transcription, introduced her to George and Ira Gershwin’s popular jazz song Embraceable You from their musical Girl Crazy. Wild, who died in 2010, was a much-admired American pianist who prepared many transcriptions for himself to play. Here, Gülbadamova plays three of Wild’s Gershwin reductions; Embraceable You sounds a touch heavy for my taste but The Man I Love is exceptional and Gülbadamova’s playing is simply entrancing.
Recording at the House of Radio, St. Petersburg the engineering team achieve satisfying sound with Gülbadamova’s Bösendorfer piano having a particularly engaging tone. Gülbadamova herself has written the booklet essay which provides helpful information and some insights to her collection.
If the album programme suits, there is no reason to hesitate as this is admirable playing, firm of conviction and displaying technical prowess. Gülbadamova consistently provides a really satisfying level of poetic expression which
ideally suits this captivating Idylle-themed collection.
Michael Cookson
Previous review: Rob Challinor
Contents
Alexander GLAZUNOV (1865-1936)
Idylle, Op 103 (1926) [7:14]
Frédéric CHOPIN (1810-1849)
Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op 60 (1845-46) [9:40]
Moritz MOSZKOWSKI (1854-1924)
Idylle - Waterlilies Op 94/3 (1916) [2:15]
Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Serenade for strings in E minor, Op 20 (1888-92) [14:20]
(transcription for solo piano by Malcolm Kenzie)
1. Allegro piacevole [4:20]
2. Larghetto [6:47]
3. Allegretto [3:13]
Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907)
Jeg elsker dig, Op 41/3 (1884) [3:20]
Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Adagio (The Prince and Cinderella) from ballet Cinderella, Op 97/10 (1943) [4:43]
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828) arr. Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Du bist die Ruh, S. 558/3 (1837-38) [5:24]
(transcribed by Liszt after Schubert leader, D.776)
Reynaldo HAHN (1874-1947)
Le Rossignol éperdu,
excerpts from set of 53 piano pieces (1899-1911):
No 50, La fête de Terpsichore [3:51]
No 16, Les rêveries du Prince Eglantine [3:33]
No 40, Faunesse dansante [1:38]
No 48, Le réveil de Flore [3:44]
No 26, Mirage [1:56]
No 28, Matinée parisienne [4:23]
Edward ELGAR
Idylle, Op 4 No 1 (1884) [3:35]
George GERSHWIN (1898-1937) arr. Earl WILD (1915-2010)
Seven virtuoso studies on song melodies
(transcribed for piano by Earl Wild) (1954 rev. 1973):
No 5, Embraceable You [2:48]
No 2, Somebody Loves Me [2:44]
No 1, The Man I Love [2:32]
