Schumann: Carnaval Op. 9 - Guide to recordings
Schumann's beauiful suite of character pieces, has held a strong place in the piano literature, studied by practically every major pianist. As I began work on this large set, I made a search for recordings, as I always do. I've listened to numerous recordings, and I thought I should discuss some of the interesting finds I've found.
The first recording of Carnaval I ever sampled, came from an unlikely Schumann interpreter... the japanese pianist Mitsuko Uchida. She has meticulously gone through, voiced every chord, and defined colors, so they are unmistakable. Of course, she does make beautiful music with many movements. Listen, to the second section of the 'Reconnaissance', where she shows the layers of colors as they unfold in the decending chromatic lines. Although, her opening movement suffers from a lack of dance, which is mostly perceived in her rushing through big beats, while focusing on small figurations.
When comparing older recordings to newer recordings, a problem which I ran into was the changes of editions. For example, the movement 'Sphinxes' is often left out by many pianists, after an early edition marked that it was supposed to be internalized by the pianist before starting 'Papillons.' This leads us to one of the most stunning renditions of them all, an early recording by Sergei Rachmaninov. Recorded in 1929 in one single take, this recording shows us the stunning virtuosity which Rachmaninov was known for. He has one of the most spirited performances, which shows us the concept of a composer playing another composers music. Rachmaninov, is also quite meticulous about the way idea's go from one into another. Although, he always seems to put his priorities into the bigger arches or phrases or ideas. His 'Chopin' movement is a moving statement inbetween the impassioned visions of 'Chiarina' and 'Estrella'. A remarkable thing about Rachmaninov's performance, is his ability to hold the listener through the entire piece is unmatched. The sound quality is very questionable of course, ( as are the notes according to Paul Hersh) but worth the listening experience none the less.
Alfred Cortot was a supreme Schumann interpreter, recording not only Carnaval in the 1930s but also Kinderseznen and Kreisleriana. His vision of the work has less dramatic action, but far more poetry and perfume. I must confess, for many listeners his inaccuracy can be distracting, but the music making is so powerful, that I really didn't pay any attention to it after some time. There is a french style of playing involved, but every note speaks the truth behind the piece. Listen to 'Valse Noble' to hear how Cortot makes every bass and soprano note ring and glow, letting the phrases bloom so naturally. I was quite suprised that the old view of the clown 'Pierrot' is so serious. There seems to be no humor in this movement. It seems to be more obsessive with the repeating motif.
The great pianist Arthur Rubinstein also made recordings of Carnaval in the 1960's. I had an immediate dilemma with the first 5 movements or so. There was absolutly no room for rubato in most of these, which leads to a very stiff opening. Rubinstein's performance places the Presto of the 'Preambule' a whole bar later. I was unsure if this was just a choice, or an edition error. Farther along in his performance, he begins to find a common dance in every movement which seems to show a larger continuation of musical thought. Although, this performance isn't as memorable as some of the former. The Fantasiestucke which are also on this disc were beautifully played, probably Rubinstein was meant for a more dreamy type of performing.
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was the first of the Italian Piano school which was eventually carried on by Maurizio Pollini. The italian school has always been known for ice cold accuracy of performance. Michelangeli's maverick performance definetly shows his technical brilliance throughout the 20 some movements of the large work. Even though the finger work was quite impressive, I actually found most of his performance very forced without a trace of flexibility in the dances.
Youri Egorov, created his career after not winning at the Van Cliburn Int'l Competition in Texas in contreversy. He died not too long ago of AIDS but this recording has survived to show us his beautiful Schumann performing. A two disc set available from EMI contains not only Carnaval, but also Kreisleriana, the rarely performed Bunte Blatter, and Novelettes. Egorov succeeds in always removing any type of mannerisms in his playing, which leave us fresh performances of each movement. He is also very cautious of being sentimental. Although he cannot resist when he plays 'Eusebius' where he finds a gorgeous combination of singing octaves and strummed bass chords in the second half. His pacing in the last movment is remarkable. He manages to carry us from the brief 'Pause' to the 'Davidsbundler Marche' all the way to the final chord in a blaze of glory which is unparalleled in the recordings which I have visited.
If I had to pick a set of recordings to take, I'd definetly reccomend the Rachmaninov, Uchida, Cortot and Egorov. All beautiful recordings of the pieces. Rachmaninov, does do some questionable things, but the music doesn't get any better then that folks. one of the best pianists of all time showing us a untouchable performances from 1929, uncorrupted by todays standards of accuracy.
-Julio Elizalde
Added: Saturday, March 27, 2004
Reviewer: Julio Elizalde
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