Gabriela Imreh plays BACH = Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 903; Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825; Toccata and Fugue in E Minor, BWV 914; Italian Concerto in F Major, BWV 971; Chaconne in D Minor, BWV 1004 (trans. Busoni) – Gabriela Imreh, piano
Arabesque Z6804, 63:13 **** :
Originally issued in 1997 by Connoisseur Society, this remastering captures Ms. Imreh’s reverberant tone in the majestic work of Bach, guaranteed – to paraphrase Bach’s own conceit – “to refresh the spirits of music-lovers.” Imreh plays an aggressive Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, obviously relishing the recitatives, modulations, runs, and brisk ornaments that characterize the chromatic fantasia section, and then moving briskly to the three-voice fugue. For all of the bravura that marks the fantasia, the fugue enjoy a subdued, intimate sense of hue, its internal logic revealed through a fixed pulsation and intricately clear articulation of the voices. The sheer elan in exalted figures, the passion of numbers, infiltrates every note.
The familiar Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, the briefest of the set of six, radiates a nobly diaphanous lightness of texture, the antiphonal registers sounding in resonant harmony on Imreh‘s Yamaha. Sweetly lyrical arpeggios suffuse the ensuing Allemande, the patina non percussive even in the pointillistic repeated notes. A rather breathless Corrente adds a bit of musical spice to the mix, a moment of torrid virtuosity in an otherwise serene performance. Imreh’s innate Romanian penchant for colors renders the Sarabande a tender song, spun from a nuanced palette. We recall that another fine Romanian artist, Dinu Lipatti, championed this work in his own excellent way. The charming Menuets lead to a volatile realization of the final Gigue, its crossed-hand effects more than compensation for the occasional “simplicity” of Bach’s design.
The Toccata and Fugue in E Minor, a staple of artists like Agi Jambor and Robert Casadesus, casts a somber glow in the course of its sectionalized introspective procession. Most striking is the Adagio section, highly chromatic and Italianate, often a mirror of the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, although this Adagio’s runs become more abrupt, slightly manic, lyrically propulsive. The three-voiced fugue sets a motor figure that moves relentlessly, a touch-piece of explosive character, the stretti mounting in nervous symmetry. Imreh’s Italian Concerto sings with lively flair, the outer movements’ ritornello strikingly brisk, high in tone and spirit, eminently optimistic. The embellished Andante with ostinato bass makes a perfect vehicle for Imreh’s lyrical gifts, while the blistering tempo of the Presto attests to her digital firepower – fleet, efficient, explosive.
Busoni arranged the Bach Chaconne from the D minor Violin Partita in 1893. Clearly meant to extend the Liszt tradition in Bach, the arrangement for two hands provides the virtuoso pianist many opportunities for polyphonic display, all the while–as in Liszt’s own Spanish Rhapsody on “La Folia”–maintaining a tight leash on the ground figures that move architecturally forward. Here, Ms. Imreh allows her percussive persona more range than prior, and the results can be stentorian; but she recovers enough to set the more titanic effects in relief, urging the carillons of sound from the non-legato runs and double octaves with remarkable felicity. This disc, Ms. Imreh’s CD debut, was meant to impress her public with a virtuoso of intelligent fiery conviction.
–Gary Lemco
