Gramophone – September 2019

gramophone.co.uk GRAMOPHONE SEPTEMBER 2019 83

theidiom,verynicelyaccompaniedby

Bjørkøe.Eachdiscisajoy.GuyRickards

Janáček

IntheMists.OnanOvergrownPath.

Reminiscence.Sonata1.X.1905,‘FromtheStreet’.

Themaconvariazioni,Op 1

JanBartošpf

SupraphonFSU42662(76’• DDD)

JanBarto≈follows

uphisfirsttwo

Supraphonreleases

respectivelydevoted

toMozartconcertos(10/17)andBeethoven

sonatas(A/18)withanall-Janá∂ekrelease

thateasilystandsalongsidereference

Janá∂ekofferingsfromRudolfFirku≈n≥

(DG,6/72),CharlesOwen(Somm,7/03)

andHåkonAustbø(BrilliantClassics).Like

hiserstwhileteacherIvanMoravec,Barto≈

acceptsandinternalisesJaná∂ek’sintimate,

conversationalsoundworldforwhatitis,

whileimbuingthecomposer’softenstark

textureswithafullnessoftonalbodyand

shimmeringtranslucence.

Atthesametime,classicalreserveand

textualhonestyprevail.IntheSonata’s

Adagio,Barto≈isoneofthefewpianiststo

makethecomposer’sdistinctmarcatoand

staccatodirectivesmeaningfullyaudible.

Intheopeningandclosingsections,you’ll

hearhowBarto≈(aswellasMoravec)

abruptlyreleasesthesustainpedalsothat

thequirkysemiquaverreststrulyregister.

Eveninacatalogueawashwithfine

renditionsofIntheMists(thesongful

intimacyofPiotrAnderszewski’slive

CarnegieHallrecordingremainsquite

special–Virgin/Erato,8/09),Barto≈

uncoversfascinatingdetailstosavour.

Inthethirdpiece,heimpartsmoreof

anupbeatlilttotheleft-handlinethan

commonlyheard,andobservesthecentral

appassionatosection’sunrelentingaccents

withoutoverbuildingtheclimaxand

consequentlylosingthenarrativeflow.

AndBarto≈conveyssubtleyetnoticeable

distinctionsbetweenthefinalpiece’srapid

shiftsbetweenPrestoandMenomosso,an

effecteasiersaidthandone.

Barto≈’sgiftsforfinelyhoned

characterisationfurthercomehometo

roostthroughouttheOnanOvergrown

Pathselections.Note,forexample,his

discreetshiftsofemphasisontherepeat

in‘OurEvenings’,theperfectlytimed

accelerandoandreturntotempoin‘Come

withus!’orhowthegradationsoftimbre

in‘UnutterableAnguishes’underscorethe

middlevoices’implicitcommentatorrole.

AlthoughJaná∂ek’searlyThemeand

Variationscontainsonlytracesofhis

mature style,hisslyassimilationsof

Mendelssohn,SchumannandBrahms

are not blatantlyderivative.Barto≈clearly

relishesdetailssuchasVar3’sobsessive

rhythms,whilehesingsoutVar 6 from

the bottomup,lettingtheplangentbass

lines lead.

The bookletnotesaregivenovertoan

extensiveconversationbetweenBarto≈and

the musicologistJi∑íZahrádkathatexplores

this repertoireingreatdepth,providing

a valuableadjuncttoanexcellently

engineeredandhighlysatisfyingrelease

that no Janá∂eklovershouldmiss.JedDistler

Liszt

Années depèlerinage– année2:Italie,S161.

St Françoisd’Assise:Laprédicationauxoiseaux,

S175 No 1

FrancescoPiemontesipf

Orfeo F(CD+◊)C982 191

(62’ + 80’• DDD• NTSC• 16:9• s)

DVD includesItalieand‘TravelingwithFrancesco

Piemontesi’,a ilmbyRobertaPedrini

Perhaps if he’d lived

today, Liszt would

have contented

himself with

INSTRUMENTAL REVIEWS

Sensitivity and intelligence: Francesco Piemontesi plays Liszt’s second book of Années de pèlerinage

PHOTOGRAPHY:

MARCO BORGGREVE