It makes an immediately attractive idea to create a program out of the love triangle that may or may not have existed between the two Schumanns and Brahms, especially when the performers represent such a cross section of today’s young superstars whom we expect, rightly or wrongly, to be at least susceptible, and perhaps familiar, with such triangles themselves. Somehow, however, despite the concept, the artists and the packaging, someone forgot to make sure the performances reflected the passion of the supposed historical reality.
In Robert Schumann’s Concerto, Grimaud plays with a lovely tone that seems lit from within and a wonderfully silken energy but, although Salonen and the Staatskapelle are a much warmer and musically relaxed combination that Salonen and his home orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Salonen’s subdued energy is a bit on the dull side. The music making is very beautiful throughout, but, and most notably in the last movement, hardly passionate. Excellent sound that takes volume very well.
In the other major work, Brahms’s morose E minor cello sonata, Truls Mørk plays with a great sense of shape and a brooding urgency but is generally covered by Grimaud’s unaccountably leaden playing. It is a monstrously difficult work to balance, recorded or live, and here the engineers have done their best to give the two players equal volume levels; unfortunately, it turns to be a disappointingly unmusical solution.
Clara Schumann’s songs and Brahms’s Ballades fare better but are considerably lesser fare. A really imaginative concept album would have had Grimaud playing Clara Schumann’s piano concerto. Maybe next concept.
The liner notes consist of a few quasi philosophical thoughts by Grimaud on the nature of love, and an unadventurous historical essay by Nancy Reich. There are lots of photographs of Grimaud in a variety of reflective poses, a triptych of the featured historical triangle and one of Salonen, Otter and Mørk. Nothing in the notes to say whether anything in the relationships between the performers on this CD mirror those of history. Based on the uninspired performance, my guess would be: Probably not.
– Laurence Vittes
