Clavier Companion - January/February 2012 - 55

COLLECTION Great Short Masterpieces for Piano Michal Tal, piano Roméo Records 7278/9 [Total Time 78:09/72:33]
Israeli-born pianist Michal Tal presents works by Schubert, Debussy, Satie, and Berio in this unique two-disc set that, because it includes both live and studio recordings, is sometimes marred by inconsistent sound quality and noisy distractions. On the first disc, Schubert’s Impromptus, Op. 142, although cleanly played, are often heavy-handed and lack variety in texture and nuance. Live performances of selected Debussy preludes (six from each book), offer more personality and imagination, yet moments of overly affected playing detract from the charm of Debussy’s music. The second disc delivers a remarkably different pianistic impression through fourteen tastefully played short works of Erik Satie, and Tal is at her best in Luciano Berio’s Sequenza IV (1966) and Six Encores (1965-90). She effectively illuminates the inherent complexities of Berio’s music: her dazzling technique and exquisite pedaling create beautifully articulated layers of sound that ultimately paint a complete canvas of these modern masterpieces. L.M.

COMPOSER Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Op. 31 Thomas Sauer, piano MSR Classics MS1284 [Total Time 69:05]

SLIPPED DISC Quos Ego Mary Kenedi, piano Echiquier Records ECD-009 [Total Time 67:20]
Hungarian-born pianist Mary Kenedi performed and coproduced this CD of Kodály’s piano concert repertoire. Her elegant and powerful resonance in Méditation sur un motif de Claude Debussy is a testament to Kenedi’s colorful imagination and conceptualization of orchestral dimensions. She also magnificently captures the declamatory style and modal inflections of the Pieces, Opp. 3 and 11, conveying the character of each piece with passionate ingenuity—whether the enraged Furioso, the somber “Tomb Inscription,” the mischievous Allegretto scherzoso, or the elegiac “Transylvanian Lament.” Dances of Marosszék is delivered with respectable competence and assurance, yet ultimately fails to project the Hungarian character in the work’s wild and frenzied conclusion. As Kenedi points out in the liner notes, this CD compilation excludes Kodály’s pedagogical pieces and transcriptions. Nevertheless, her recording serves as a valid reference and certainly merits the attention of those interested in a survey of Kodály’s more substantial piano works. S.H.T.

American pianist Thomas Sauer contrasts two of Beethoven’s more joyful sonatas, Op. 31, Nos. 1 and 3, with the dramatic “Tempest” Sonata, Op. 31, No. 2. Sauer treats each sonata with a deft hand, producing strikingly expressive and colorful palettes within each movement. His musicianship is particularly evident in his intense emotional connection to Op. 31, No.2: mood shifts in the first movement, the recitative quality of the second movement, and the linear clarity of the third movement are exceptional. Further, Sauer approaches each sonata with reserved tempos and dynamic range. In the first and third sonatas, he accentuates the subtler and more pristine character of these works, and his sparse pedaling is rather unusual (most notably in the slow movement of Op. 31, No. 1). Although all performances are well-executed, the vivacious character of the outer two sonatas is sacrificed, making for an uneven collection of this unique set. S.H.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

CLAVIER COMPANION

Clavier Companion - January/February 2012

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