Stravinsky (3) Movements from Petrouchka; Tchaikovsky (The) Seasons
That flashy first impression gives way to reveal a true poet of the piano
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Label: Red Seal
Magazine Review Date: 8/2006
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 56
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: 82876 78861-2

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Petrushka |
Igor Stravinsky, Composer
Denis Matsuev, Piano Igor Stravinsky, Composer |
(The) Seasons |
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer
Denis Matsuev, Piano Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer |
Author: Jeremy Nicholas
Denis Matsuev (b1975, Irkutsk, Siberia) won the 1998 Tchaikovsky Competition. His brief ‘Tribute to Horowitz’ disc (2003) made a strong impression, even if depth and poetry were sometimes sacrificed at the expense of speed and bedazzlement. This follow-up, though a curiously unsatisfying pairing, confirms him as a major talent. From the opening bars of the Petrushka ‘Danse russe’ you know you are in safe hands, Matsuev’s well oiled mechanism enabling him to gloss over any difficulty – so fluent, in fact, that at times there are the merest hints of complacency. More tonally refined than Kissin (RCA, 2/06) and equally compelling in its own way, far better recorded than Weissenberg’s classic account (EMI, 9/04), Matsuev’s Petrushka can hold its own with the best.
I was even more taken by his Tchaikovsky. Here, at last, Matsuev reveals himself to be a true poet of the piano. By the Fireside (January) and especially Barcarole (June) and Autumn Song (October) are ineffably touching, played with a quiet introspection and sensitive rubato that melt the heart. In the more exuberant numbers, Matsuev does not resort to excessive dynamics or supercharged virtuosity, thereby cleverly retaining their character as part of the cycle of piano miniatures. My one reservation about the whole disc is the microphone placement which (to my ears) has the effect of distancing the listener, resulting in a certain lack of immediacy and engagement.
I was even more taken by his Tchaikovsky. Here, at last, Matsuev reveals himself to be a true poet of the piano. By the Fireside (January) and especially Barcarole (June) and Autumn Song (October) are ineffably touching, played with a quiet introspection and sensitive rubato that melt the heart. In the more exuberant numbers, Matsuev does not resort to excessive dynamics or supercharged virtuosity, thereby cleverly retaining their character as part of the cycle of piano miniatures. My one reservation about the whole disc is the microphone placement which (to my ears) has the effect of distancing the listener, resulting in a certain lack of immediacy and engagement.
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