Cascade
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Visions Fugitives Op.22
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Bagatelle in C major WoO 56
Six Bagatelles Op.126
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Waldszenen Op.82
Cordelia Williams (piano)
rec. 2023, Turner Sims, Southampton, UK
Reviewed as a digital download from a press preview
SOMM Recordings SOMMCD0675 [65]
Before making her most recent recital disc, Nightlight in 2020 (review), English pianist Cordelia Williams had already amassed a distinguished discography encompassing Schubert, Bach and Pärt. With Nightlight, one of my recordings of the year for that year, Williams took a decisive step forward in terms of the scope and vision of her playing. With Cascade, her new recording, Williams demonstrates amply that Nightlight was no fluke and that she is currently at the very highest pianistic level.
The theme of this collection is the ways in which the fugitive, the seeming trifle, the mere bagatelle can contain a whole world as readily as any grand large scale work – indeed it may offer a vision of a deeper truth simply because of its ephemeral brevity. The title, Cascade, comes from Rilke: Often when I imagine you, your wholeness cascades into many shapes.
The disc moves from Beethoven’s Bagatelle in C major WoO56 which is a genuine off cut from the master’s work bench (it was apparently originally intended for the Waldstein sonata) through Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives which were never intended as a cycle but are more often performed as such these days to Beethoven’s Op126 set of Bagatelles which pretend to be a bag of random all sorts like his Op119 but were in fact conceived as a coherent work. Only the Schumann is what it seems to be – if the enigmatic, capricious nature of his genius could ever be anything other than fugitive, illusive and ephemeral in pursuit of the special magic of his poetry.
The visual image appropriate to Williams’ playing of these works is a cascade of colours – dazzlingly so in the Op126 Bagatelles. Her capacity to colour the voices of even the thorniest of textures is a constant delight. Late Beethoven playing is too often weighed down with drab grey coloured clothes which does a grave disservice to this aspect of his genius. His writing is revealed here as just as outrageous in terms of timbre as it is in every other way. Whilst Williams is more than a match for anyone in the serious moments, it is her relishing of Beethoven’s cosmic humour that had me grinning from ear to ear. Sample the second one and hear how, where others phone in middle period minor key Beethoven, Williams is alive to its depths, its shadows and its crafty wit. Her ability to colour the music is always at the service of the music and on the basis of this performance she simply must be sat down in a studio to record the Diabelli variations. In this Op126 Williams is fully the equal of and even surpasses my long term favourite recording by Stephen Bishop Kovacevich.
I already knew from Nightlight that Williams has a rare affinity for Schumann and she gets to the very heart of one of my favourite of his cycles for piano. This is Williams a pianist who knows her Rilke to the fore. Some of this just can’t be taught – it has to come from the soul. But she understands that with Schumann the devil is in the detail and that that detail needs to be coaxed not pummelled. Listen to her delicious way with the “wrong notes” of Einsame Blumen and that much played piece unexpectedly oozes sensuality. She exudes patience with the esoteric world of Verrufene Stelle allowing the music to lead us into its strange magical place. She paces things immaculately so that the final piece, Abschied, becomes a true climax of deeply felt poetry. This is Schumann playing to match that of anybody, past or present. Vogel als Prophet gives even Cortot a run for the money and I can think of no higher praise.
Based on her previous recordings, in some ways the Prokofiev comes as a bit of a surprise though some Scriabin was included on Nightlight. Williams has some Russian heritage and it shows as this account is as idiomatic as they come. Those who know her Schumann and Schubert will be (pleasantly) surprised that she has a big beefy virtuoso sound in her locker along with a brittle and sometimes even a hard edged Scythian tone when required. But above it is that Rilke spirit that sets this account apart from the show ponies of the piano world.
There is nothing obvious about putting the works in this collection together – that is until you hear Williams play them and then the effect is to be transported to a magical kingdom of musical poetry. Whilst not as deeply moving in theme as Nightlight, in many ways her playing here is even finer. Sometimes I find myself dithering over my Recordings of the Year but Cordelia Williams makes such a choice easy. This is simply wonderful piano playing.
David McDade
Previous review: Dominy Clements (October 2023)
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