Nature
Tiffany Poon (piano)
rec. 2025, Miraval Studios, France
Reviewed as a download
Pentatone PTC5187423 [65]

Following her successful Diaries Schumann album (review), New York-based pianist Tiffany Poon presents a varied program of French masterworks, recorded in March 2025, reflecting her love of animals, woods and water.

The disc opens with Daquin’s Le Coucou, a selection inspired by Sergei Rachmaninoff’s famous 1920 recording for RCA Victor. Poon articulates the bird call in a consistent manner throughout, and plays with wonderfully steady rhythm and light touch, refraining from any excess ornamentation. The bass line is well-defined without sounding artificial. A delight!

Two selections by Couperin follow. The elusively difficult Le Papillions (with an uncommon 6/16 time signature) is a feast of intricate left hand ornaments, effectively played, showing an exceptional control in lower dynamic levels. La Poule, from the G major suite is played with wonderful balance between melody and accompaniment and excellent variation of dynamics between the repetitions. The colorful Les rappel des oiseaux by Rameau, with its many mordents, is an excellent choice to round off the Baroque selections and serves as a transition into Alkan’s notoriously difficult Le Festin d’Ésope in the same key. Alkan marks this allegretto senza licenza quantunque (rather fast, without any license) and Poon’s tempo feels just right, with enough space between the notes in the theme. The bass line is emphasized tastefully when it has material of interest and this is kept consistent through the variations. One variation flows to the next quite organically, and the tempo transitions are convincing. In addition to all the bravura, such as the devastatingly even scale outbursts in variation 7, there are plenty of delicate touches throughout. Variation 18 (marked sempre piano, leggierissimamente) stood out in particular for its refined fingerwork. Overall, the textures are well-balanced and the theme is pronounced. Poon observes the many dynamic marking meticulously. When power is required, there is plenty, without any harshness. The entire work holds together wonderfully and is certainly a modern interpretation I would return to. It stands alongside the Raymond Lewenthal’s iconic 1965 recording for RCA.

The first of Fauré’s 13 Barcarolles is played with a melting legato and exquisite muted tonal palette. The airy figurations decorate a well-defined and caringly shaped melody. It is very tastefully played without any excess. Poon’s command of pianissimo is truly remarkable.

This was my first time I had heard the rarely-played solo piano transcription by Lucien Garban of Saint-Saëns’Le Cygne (the Siloti and Godowsky arrangements are far better represented on record); Garban transcribed the entire Le carnaval des animaux for piano solo and also piano 4 hands. Poon plays it with great delicacy. The accompaniment is marvelously even and the dynamics remain interesting within the muted tonal palette (the score does not have anything louder than a mezzo forte).

Debussy’s first arabesque, composed a number of years before his highly innovative orchestral work Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune,seems to flow perfectly from the ending of Le Cygne. There is plenty of shape in the melody without pushing anything out too abruptly, and Poon is sensitive to the subtle harmonic changes in the left hand figurations. The second arabesque, marked allegretto scherzando, is well-articulated without getting aggressive. The pedaling is kept sparse and tasteful, which is refreshing. The triplet figurations seem to tie back in to the earlier Baroque selections on the disc. Poon plays with great freedom while adhering to the score and staying clear of extra distortions.

The two selected Debussy preludes are marvelous. Le vent dans la plaine is marked aussi légèrement que possible (as light as possible). Poon’s amazing control of dynamics, even within really florid textures, is astonishing. The mood of Bruyères (Calme – Doucement expressif) is captured perfectly. Poon’s rhythmic clarity helps present this harmonically complex material in the clearest way possible and her control, even within a muted tonal palette, is something special indeed. Reflets dans l’eau (from Images), marked andantino molto is paced exceptionally well. Poon’s attention to the important downbeats and bass line holds the texturally dense work together. The melodic line is always heard without using excess force. There are many moments where Poon’s fantastic finger work really shines and her attention to detail helps make this one of the finest recorded versions.

Ravel’s innovative early work Jeux d’eau actually predates the Debussy by four years and the textures (and subject matter) make it a fine companion piece to Reflets dans l’eau. Poon creates a beautiful separation of voices within all the pianissimo areas (Ravel marks très doux – very gentle). There are a few sections where the pacing is surprisingly broader than usually heard but it works very well as part of the cohesive whole. All of the considerable technical difficulties are handled with breathtaking skill, making it a fine interpretation indeed.

The two selections from Miroirs, which I have not heard played better, makes one wish the pianist had tackled the rest of the set. Oiseaux tristes (“Sad Birds”) is glorious. The distinct birdcalls are presented with great clarity and easily traced throughout. Poon masterfully juggles the polyphonic textures and harmonic shifts. Tempo transitions are well organized and help make the extremely complex material easier to follow. Une barque sur l’océan (A Boat on the Ocean) is another work notorious for its devastating difficulty. Poon keeps the sprawling left hand opening arpeggios soft (as marked) while bringing out multiple voices. The exquisite filigree finger work, from trills, tremolos, sustained arpeggios in both hands, and colorful touch is something to really admire. There is plenty of momentum to sustain the melodic lines throughout. D’un Jardin Clair by Boulanger (composed in 1914) is an effective encore to the program. The added-note chords layered above the bass pedal tones in the bass are in line with the other French composers of the time. Poon’s tasteful rubato (following the indications in the score) helps bring this rarely-heard gem to life.

The recorded sound is excellent, with plenty of natural reverb.

Michael Kaykov

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Contents
Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772)
Le Coucou (Premier Livre de Pièces de Clavecin, 2e Suite)
François Couperin (1668-1733)
Les papillons (Premier Livre de pièces de clavecin)
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764)
La Poule (Suite in G major, RCT 6)
Le Rappel des Oiseaux (Suite in E minor, RCT 2)
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
Le Festin d’Ésope (Douze études dans tous les tons mineurs, Op.39)
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Barcarolle No.1, Op.26
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Le Cygne (arr. Lucien Garban)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Deux arabesques, L. 66
Le vent dans la plaine (Preludes, Book 1 No. 3)
Bruyères (Preludes, Book 2 No. 5)
Reflets dans l’eau (Images, 1ere série)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Jeux d’eau
Oiseaux Tristes (Miroirs)
Une Barque sur l’océan (Miroirs)
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
D’un Jardin Clair