Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Chanter avec les doigts
Sonata in B Minor, Op. 49 (1844)
Impromptu in G-flat Major, Op. 51 (1842)
Mazurkas, Op. 50 (1842)
Ballade in F Minor, Op. 52 (1843)
Fantaisie in F Minor, Op. 49 (1841)
Martin Nöbauer (piano)
rec. 2024
Gramola 99343 [72]
This album showcases some of Chopin’s greatest works from his later years. The Sonata, Ballade, and Fantaisie in particular are often viewed as three of his finest compositions. Martin Nöbauer presents the programme using five different pianos from roughly the period in which Chopin composed these pieces, the earliest being a Pleyel from 1829, and the latest being an Érard from 1853.
The recording of the B Minor Sonata best matches the date of piano manufacture to the date of composition, they being only two years apart. I find that, for the most part, contemporary pianos offer a unique tonal character that noticeably benefits Chopin’s music and this is the case with every work on this disc. This Sonata, aided by the Pleyel piano, is given a deeply poetic performance. It might lack the drama of some more celebrated renditions, but it is worth hearing for the gentle romance found in its many lyrical moments which sing beautifully under Nöbauer’s hands. A little more drive in dramatic passages would have given even greater contrast, but the lyrical second theme of the first movement is played as beautifully as I have heard.
The Impromptu and Mazurkas are more introspective works and given admirable performances, though I find the main interest here is purely the opportunity to hear them on contemporary instruments which, nevertheless, proves a satisfying experience and elevates them. The C-Sharp Minor Mazurka is especially affecting in its almost morbid beauty.
My reference for the great F Minor Ballade is Alfred Cortot’s early recording from 1929 (review), and as much as I enjoy the sonority of these early pianos, it does not compensate for Nöbauer’s more straightforward approach. Cortot’s recording is quite remarkable for its sheer poetic verve and insight; his playing rapturously unbound by convention, intoxicating in its startling array of colour, and heart-rending in the arresting beauty of his singing tone. Such a headstrong performance is utterly at odds with today’s more standardised approach to Chopin’s music, but wholly authentic in its commitment and expressive power. I would have appreciated some more of that freedom and wild poeticism from Nöbauer who is faithful to the score, but captures less of what the paper cannot. Additionally, while it is not a major issue, I find few pianists approach bars 175-176, in my view some of the most beautiful bars in the entirety of the repertory, with the ecstatic lyricism really required. Comparing Nöbauer with Cortot in just those two bars reveals the difference between a good pianist (albeit one with a lovely piano), and a great one.
The F Minor Fantaisie is another wonderful work, grand and Romantic in the extreme. A pet peeve of mine is the tradition of pianists, even many wonderful ones, playing the beautiful theme first presented in A-flat in a twinkling piano or pianissimo. Horowitz and Zimmerman, to name two examples, play it at forte, which keeps the drama, and preserves not just the beauty of the music, but the emotional power. Nöbauer, like many others, builds up to the theme, only to release the tension and play it as a brief, sentimental daydream. For me, it destroys the sense of the work’s structure and underplays what should be an exalted moment of passion. Here, the playing of the work as a whole is solid, but did not strike me to be as fine as the B Minor Sonata which started the disc.
Overall, the playing is of high quality, with some moments of real poetic beauty that are to be appreciated. Hearing these works on contemporary instruments is also rewarding and certainly interesting from a historical perspective. I find them preferable to the less colourful sound of more modern instruments, especially in this early Romantic repertoire, written with such sonorities in mind. However, there can be a lack of drama in the performances of the more outward-facing works and a freer, even more imaginative approach might have better presented the benefits of performing Chopin’s music on instruments from his time. The sound quality is very good and the accompanying notes informative in regards to the various instruments used.
Morgan Burroughs
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Recording venues
Edwin Beunk Collection, Enschede, The Netherlands (Sonata, Impromptu), Internationale Ignaz Joseph Pleyel-Gesellschaft, Ruppersthal, Austria (Mazurkas, Ballade), Klavier-Atelier Gert Hecher, Vienna, Austria (Fantaisie)
