Stefan Askenase (piano)
Live Concert Performances
Rundfunkorchester Hannover Des NDR/Willy Steiner
rec. live, 08 November 1969, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands; live, 14 January 1972, Grosser Sendesaal, Hannover, Germany (Chopin Piano Concerto No 1)
Meloclassic MC1077 [2CDs: 131]
Not so long ago I reviewed Meloclassic’s previous set of live recordings by Stefan Askenase (Meloclassic MC1065) and some biographical details can be found in that review. He grew up in Lemberg, now Lwów in Poland, a city that was known as little Vienna and which also bore such pianistic giants as Moritz Rosenthal, Mieczysław Horszowski, Lubka Kolessa and Jakob Gimpel. In such a place Askenase must have soaked up much of that city’s rich musical heritage.
As with the first volume these recordings are taken from live concerts and this time we hear him in his 73rd and 76th years, coincidentally the years in which his first wife Anny died, 1969, and his marriage to Ingrid Annemarie Buchwald, 1973. His complete Concertgebouw recital was devoted to Chopin and the traits that were audible on the previous set are all here; the attention to detail, lilting rhythms and a marvellous sense of the vocal nature of the lines. Again there is that broadness of tempi in the second scherzo, the only Chopin item in common to the two recitals. Here it is even longer, just over twelve minutes but there is nobility and vigour to the playing that makes up for generally restrained tempo. He gives us a wonderfully crafted barcarolle, contrasting delicacy with grand and even youthful playing and there is some quite intimate playing in the four mazurkas op.41. The first is a little restrained for my taste though like much of the playing here it is utterly refined. The second and fourth are beautiful in their tenderness and he finds character and robustness in the various moods of the third. Askenase is not a pianist to throw caution to the wind but his selection of études show that he still had the solid technique that an early reviewer marvelled at – flawless technique…an incredible sense of the piano’s tone, exquisite touch and, above all, an aptitude for heartfelt interpretation. All of these qualities are heard in a very moving E major nocturne with a glorious conversation in its contrapuntal heart and depth of feeling to the melody lines. The waltzes have the same suppleness of rhythm that can be heard on Meloclassic’s’ earlier release and a lightness of touch in the faster sections that is infectious. I described his Scarlatti as sprightly and his Bach encore, two movements from his sixth French suite, shows the same relaxation and ease; are there any Bach recordings out there for Meloclassic to discover? Two further encores were a jaunty serenade to the doll and the delightful Mozart Ländler that seemed to be a favourite encore.
Chopin’s E minor piano concerto was a work Askenase first played around 1920 and many times after that throughout his career but this late performance has no sense of being played too often. What is noticeable is that while they are perhaps slower than we are accustomed to hearing them the lyrical passages have incredible legato singing playing with a richness of tone that it enviable, a characteristic found in his performances in the Amsterdam recital. It also makes for some magical playing in the romance and if there is quite a lot of broad rubato at the end of phrases and in the many mini cadenzas that is a part of his romantic heritage, savouring every moment. The Chopin concertos are a gift for the steely fingered virtuosi nowadays and which Askenase undoubtedly was in his youth but for all he doesn’t compete on speed he is no slouch, with elegance and buoyancy to his fingerwork; there are moments when he gets a little too wrapped up in the passagework but these moments are few and far between. All in all this a beautifully autumnal reading of this wonderful concerto.
The booklet notes are mostly a repeat of the detailed notes accompanying MC1065 with a couple of alternative photos and the sound from both recitals is fabulous. With four Askenase releases now under their belt Meloclassic are doing us a real service adding to the discography of this wonderfully sensitive pianist and this is Chopin playing well worth hearing.
Rob Challinor
Availability: Meloclassic
Contents
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Polonaise in B flat minor Op.71 No.2
Nocturne in E major Op.62 No.2
Barcarolle in F sharp major Op.60
Berceuse in D flat major Op.57
Scherzo No.2 in B flat minor Op.31
Four Mazurkas Op.41
Études Op.10 Nos. 12, 10, 9, 5
Three Waltzes Op.64
Waltz in A flat major Op.42
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Polonaise and Bourrée from French Suite No.6 BWV.817
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Serenade for the Doll from Children’s Corner
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Ländler in B flat major
Frédéric Chopin
Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor Op.11
