Emile Naoumoff is a name new to me and apart from an Orfeo CD of Stravinsky's The Firebird, to the UK record catalogue as well. Naou moffis of Russian extraction, and as the recording venue (the Salle Wagram in Paris) and the spelling of his name imply, now an adopted Frenchman. The playing is a generally attractive, occasionally frustrating blend of pianistic qualities traditionally associated with those countries.
The positive side of that blend is a quite ravishing beauty of sound, Gallic refinement and liquid smoothness plus a touch of Slavic richness—the little bumps and creases which show through even under the most skilled Mozartian fingers just melt away under Naoumoff's. A beautifully regulated instrument and an ideal acoustic contribute to what is one of the most tonally appealing Mozart piano recordings I have ever heard. There is, however, more background hiss than one would expect from an all-digital CD, and unfortunately not enough to cover up faint incursions from a pop radio which have somehow found their way into some quiet passages about 11 minutes into the K475 Fantasia.
Tasteful and stylish though Naoumoff's instincts are, he does not fully capitalize on the beautiful sounds he produces. The serenity of the sonata slow movement is not challenged by any darker undertones, the returns of the rondo's main theme are largely indifferent to the intervening material (shouldn't there be a slight 'freezing' after the major key episodes?), the Fantasias are almost too well-groomed. And he is less than scrupulous with the text, changing or misreading notes and disregarding all sorts of other details in ways which point in the opposite direction from his (admirable) rhythmic discipline—which is frustrating, because such things are far easier to get right than the tonal mastery and interpretative poise Naoumoff displays. I mustn't forget to mention the little Butterbrot waltz he inserts between the K396 Fantasia and the Rondo, setting off the profundities of those pieces. Spurious or not, it is a charming trifle, delectably played.'