Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Fantasie in C Major, op.17
Études symphoniques in C sharp Minor, op.13
John Bingham (piano)
rec. 1988, All Saints Church, Petersham, London
Reviewed as download
Bayer Records BR100159 [71]
This long out-of-print disc is now available for listening via Naxos Music Library and YouTube, …and that’s a good thing! (as the tabloids append it to every clickbait article title these days).
John Bingham (1942-2003) was a fantastic British pianist, whose recordings rarely crossed the pond to us in the United States. I became aware of his playing via the gorgeous Chopin CDs for Meridian. They included a recital disc with the Piano Sonata No.2 and a complete set of the Études. It is no surprise to see that, as a student, Bingham worked with Harold Craxton, Nadia Boulanger and Stanislav Neuhaus. What he left on record represents the best aspects of those teachers, with elements of color, precision, intellect and passion bound together in performance. Bingham rises to the challenge of two ultra-familiar Schumann works: his performances combine quiet virtuosity with interpretive choices that often fall outside the norm but still hew to the composer’s instructions.
First up is a towering performance of the Fantasie. Bingham emphasizes the poetic nature of the music in a surprisingly subdued yet detailed account of its opening pages. The tempi are conservative without plodding. He reaps benefits in the form of exceptionally detailed voicing and shaping, and many colors found within softer dynamics. He also makes good use of Schumann’s many unexpected moments of silence. He gives them their full due instead of glossing over them as uncomfortable breaks in the line. He honors articulations that many pianists ignore, particularly those on the short side. (This is difficult to pinpoint for the listeners at home without citing measure numbers, but those familiar with the piece will quickly hear what I mean.)
Given Bingham’s general fidelity to the score, it is surprising to hear the Im Legendenton section much slower than Schumann’s marked ♩ = 72; it is closer to ♩ = 30, at least initially. The opening of the second movement is also a major surprise, but rather because Bingham follows Schumann’s instructions to a T. Marked Mäßig. Durchaus energisch (Moderate. Quite energetic), the march is usually thumped out quickly and fortissimo. Listening initially without my score, I thought that Bingham was taking chances with his marked tempo and rather quiet dynamic. But there it was, in black and white: mezzo-forte, and Moderato, exactly what Schumann wrote. Plotted this way, the movement gains momentum in an inexorable manner, especially when the pianist resists the temptation to rush. He plays the famously difficult skips like Mendelssohnian fairy music, and that works exceptionally well. Schumann’s transcendental final movement gets kaleidoscopic coloring, and is played fairly straight in terms of rubato. No weeping here; the music is allowed to speak for itself. This is one of the great recordings of the Fantasie.
Bingham’s hyper-detailed playing is similarly rewarding in the Études symphoniques. Yet listeners who adore Alfred Cortot or Arthur Rubinstein’s big-boned, splashy concept of this music may find Bingham to be somewhat controlled, emotionally speaking. This is not to say that he avoids vertiginous tempi when he feels like it; the Agitato Etude VI is a whirlwind, as is the nasty Allegro molto that follows it. I feel it is difficult to resist Bingham’s careful pedalling, as it complements his finger control. Just try the first “posthumous” variation Andante, Tempo del tema to hear a sample of the pianist’s technical command. The initial whirring figuration in the right hand gets dabs of pedal color that enhance the melody in the left hand, and allows thim to subtly bring out the lowest note of the figuration.
It is good to have these recordings available again. They deserve to be heard by all pianists and lovers of Schumann’s music.
Richard Masters
This recording is not available for purchase, but can be streamed by the platforms mentioned in the review, as well as Spotify and possibly others.
