LISZT: Funérailles; Spanish Rhapsody; Transcendental Etude No.10; Chopin: 3 Waltzes, Op.14; Ballade No.4 Op.52; SCRIABIN: Mazurka (Op.25 No.3; Op.40 Nos. 1&2); 2 Poems, Op.32; 5 Preludes, Op.15; Vers la Flamme Op.72 – Oleg Marshev, piano / Danacord 677, 79:21 [Distr. by Albany] ****:
In this recording from Danacord, Marshev takes full advantage of the Steinway Model D’s tonal potential, pulling out all the dark moments in the Liszt Funérailles with sustaining power and rhetorical breath. This is Liszt’s Hungarian equivalent to Chopin’s Heroic Polonaise (Op.53), with its brooding passages, tempestuous bell-calls and virtuosic octave-runs. In contrast to many Liszt pieces, the Funérailles requires the pianist’s ability to hold the music together as a coherent structure at very slow tempi, evoking a careful but definite atmosphere. To convey this music’s descriptive power, Marshev does so splendidly – he thunders slowly and gravely at the start, setting the stage for the devilishly rapid passages. This carries forth into a rousing version in the Rapsodie Espagnole, and Marshev’s full-throated sweep in the Transcendental Etude No. 10 is also impressive. There is no question that Marshev has the technical facility to handle Liszt’s challenges. However, what is most impressive overall in his Liszt is the intelligence and sensitivity he brings into this playing, allowing the listener a wider appreciation into the tonal variation and colourful palette behind Liszt’s music.
What follows the Liszt is a group of tasteful readings of Chopin Waltzes from Opus 34. Marshev does not resist modifying the melodic flows with coy diminuendi and teasing rubati. He does so without obliterating the grand setting Chopin had set into this music. Some of his voicing patterns and rubati in the Chopin Waltzes sound arch and affected, but what surfaces next in the Ballade No. 4 is more epic in scale. This is a piece defined by its epic passion and explosive power of harmonic and rhythmic vitality. Within this ten minutes of music is some of the quietest, stillest Chopin you will ever hear. To do so, Marshev makes full use again of the rubati, by producing some of the most effective and beautiful moments documented in this disc.
Of the three composers showcased on this disc, Marshev commands a most persuasive voice in Scriabin. He is an ideal interpreter of the dark, brooding music demanded of this composer’s works. Scriabin’s piano music unfolds an extraordinary spiritual journey and the emergence of an original musical voice, which was sadly silenced by an unexpected death. The instrument serves as Scriabin’s foundation for his unique sound-world. From the very charms of his early Préludes (Op.15), the Poems (Op.32), Mazurkas (Op.40), up to the very late works as ‘Vers la flamme’ (Op.72) of 1914, there is an ecstatic luminosity that grows in intensity. Listen to how Marshev weaves together those shimmering colours particularly in the 2 Poems – where the music literally comes to life. Even for a novice new to Scriabin’s sound-world, Marshev’s interpretation of Scriabin’s overwrought idiom is a convincing account.
The sound quality of this recording is natural and the writing provided by Malcolm MacDonald is insightful. All-in all, this was a delightful disc and a must for all serious piano buffs.
— Patrick P.L. Lam
