Reissue CD Reviews
BACH: English Suite No. 1 in A Major, BWV 806; English Suite No. 4 in F Major, BWV 809; 6 French Suites, BWV 812-817 — Tatiana Nikolayeva, piano
— Scribendum
Bach program from Russian female pianist who was a friend of Shostakovich
Published on September 05, 2005
|
BACH: English Suite No. 1 in A Major, BWV 806; English Suite
No. 4 in F Major, BWV 809; 6 French Suites, BWV 812-817 — Tatiana
Nikolayeva, piano
Scribendum SC 028 (2 CDs) 76:51; 69:18 (Distrib. Silver Oak) ****:
Winner of the 1950 Bach Leipzig Piano Competition, Tatiana Nikolayeva (1924-1994) made a great reputation as a virtuoso-pedagogue in Russia and in the Soviet bloc countries, but only found fame in the West in the 1980s with the relaxation of political tensions. A great friend and champion of composer Dimitri Shostakovich, Nikolayeva shard with Shostakovich a profound reverence for Bach, although her repertory extended to the complete Beethoven sonatas, selections from Bartok, the Tchakovsky Concert Fantasy, as well as Mozart and Hindemith. Sober and facile, Nikolayeva’s keyboard style has an elegant clarity of line, a light hand, a vigorous rhythmic propulsion, and a resourceful control of her dynamic palette.
I find some of Nikolayeva’s Bach idiosyncratic but quite persuasive, nevertheless. She is no Glenn Gould, trying to balance a piano with a harpsichord; she accepts the piano's capacities as a natural extension of the Bach experience. She communicates a willful subjectivity in her adjustments to the French Suites, which do permit great flexibility of accent, dynamics, and embellishments to the performer. The sheer variety of the gigues, for instance, allows for all kinds of metrical applications. Although Nikolayeva’s staccato runs are fierce, they likewise emanate a rounded dynamically shaded tone, so her illusion of legato or over-legato is of a single cloth, a piercing yet eminently dance-like effect.
The Prelude to the F Major English Suite is a good case in point, in which both hands independently merge or separate to create dancing filigree in polyphonic duet. The use of repetition in the rhythm and the occasional block harmony creates a deep organ tone or a high piccolo, as required. The colossal inward motion moves inexorably to climactic conclusion, what Rachmaninov called “the point.” Collectors will likely savor Nikolayeva’s gracious approach the sarabandes, where she often plays accelerando and diminuendo at once. Her rendering of the G Major French Suite will recall Emil Gilels for some auditors, though the motion is less Gallic and more Italianate than that of her colleague — but no less songful and rife with a searching intelligence. A smart player of smart music, Nikolayeva remains among the most satisfying of the Soviet-bred generation of major keyboard virtuosos.
--Gary Lemco
Scribendum SC 028 (2 CDs) 76:51; 69:18 (Distrib. Silver Oak) ****:
Winner of the 1950 Bach Leipzig Piano Competition, Tatiana Nikolayeva (1924-1994) made a great reputation as a virtuoso-pedagogue in Russia and in the Soviet bloc countries, but only found fame in the West in the 1980s with the relaxation of political tensions. A great friend and champion of composer Dimitri Shostakovich, Nikolayeva shard with Shostakovich a profound reverence for Bach, although her repertory extended to the complete Beethoven sonatas, selections from Bartok, the Tchakovsky Concert Fantasy, as well as Mozart and Hindemith. Sober and facile, Nikolayeva’s keyboard style has an elegant clarity of line, a light hand, a vigorous rhythmic propulsion, and a resourceful control of her dynamic palette.
I find some of Nikolayeva’s Bach idiosyncratic but quite persuasive, nevertheless. She is no Glenn Gould, trying to balance a piano with a harpsichord; she accepts the piano's capacities as a natural extension of the Bach experience. She communicates a willful subjectivity in her adjustments to the French Suites, which do permit great flexibility of accent, dynamics, and embellishments to the performer. The sheer variety of the gigues, for instance, allows for all kinds of metrical applications. Although Nikolayeva’s staccato runs are fierce, they likewise emanate a rounded dynamically shaded tone, so her illusion of legato or over-legato is of a single cloth, a piercing yet eminently dance-like effect.
The Prelude to the F Major English Suite is a good case in point, in which both hands independently merge or separate to create dancing filigree in polyphonic duet. The use of repetition in the rhythm and the occasional block harmony creates a deep organ tone or a high piccolo, as required. The colossal inward motion moves inexorably to climactic conclusion, what Rachmaninov called “the point.” Collectors will likely savor Nikolayeva’s gracious approach the sarabandes, where she often plays accelerando and diminuendo at once. Her rendering of the G Major French Suite will recall Emil Gilels for some auditors, though the motion is less Gallic and more Italianate than that of her colleague — but no less songful and rife with a searching intelligence. A smart player of smart music, Nikolayeva remains among the most satisfying of the Soviet-bred generation of major keyboard virtuosos.
--Gary Lemco
on this article to AUDIOPHILE AUDITION!
Email this page to a friend.
View a printer-friendly version.
