CHOPIN: Two Nocturnes, Op. 55; 3 Mazurkas, Op. 56; 3 Mazurkas, Op. 59; Berceuse in D; Sonata No. 3 – Katia Skanavi, piano – Lyrinx multichannel SACD 2259, 67:09 ***1/2:
Katia Skanavi has been garnering some pretty decent reviews worldwide, and I won’t be one to rain on that parade. This album gives us some music of Chopin composed between the years of 1843-45, chiefly during the summer months with his then companion George Sand. He would not make it past six years hence, and was composing at a record rate and at the summit of his powers. The Mazurka, as Artur Rubinstein said, is Chopin “at his highest”, and so it is not surprising that we find him writing them during this period. We get the Opus 56 and 59 sets here, and for my money, though well-played, these are darkly given by Ms. Skanavi, using the dance rhythm solely as a vehicle for passion and too light on the actual steps. Chopin always intended the types of dance forms he chose to never be absent the essential quality of that which constitutes the form itself. Here I feel a little is lacking, but this is also falling under the heading of interpretative nuance, and for that I diligently give Ms. Skanavi her due; one can hear what she is hearing in these pieces without undue concern. It’s just that I think others, such as Argerich and Rubinstein himself have found more in them.
The Nocturnes fare better, elegantly suited to Skanavi’s innate style and sensibilities where this composer is concerned. But for me the real winner here is the Third Sonata. Often overshadowed by the funereal Second, this work is slowly catching up in popularity with its neighbor, and there are now almost as many recordings of it. Katia Skanavi brings an insistent clarity to the piece without sacrificing any of the bravura, or any of the incessant pulse needed to propel this piece along, especially when we get to the difficult-to-bring-off Largo. Her touch on the keys is pure poetry in this piece, and lacks any of the rambling and sometimes ostentatious meandering that a pianist like Shura Cherkassky could bring to the table. Chopin can of course take a lot of beating and still be effective, but here we have a reading that seems proportionally perfect while blending the emotive factor among movements in a way that is consistently pleasing.
Also pleasing is the sound, lovely surround that puts the reality of her performance nicely fitted into the listening room—at least it does in mine. This is a woman to watch, very successful to this point, and with a real point of view, even if it differs from the established norm. Check it out if there is room for more good Chopin in your collection.
— Steven Ritter
