Alexander Krichel: An die ferne Geliebte
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Robert Schumann, Fritz Kreisler, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner
Genre:
Instrumental
Label: Sony Classical
Magazine Review Date: 05/2019
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 69
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 19075 87895-2
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
An die ferne Geliebte |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Alexander Krichel, Piano Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Etudes symphoniques, 'Symphonic Studies' |
Robert Schumann, Composer
Alexander Krichel, Piano Robert Schumann, Composer |
Liebesleid |
Fritz Kreisler, Composer
Alexander Krichel, Piano Fritz Kreisler, Composer |
Liebesfreud |
Fritz Kreisler, Composer
Alexander Krichel, Piano Fritz Kreisler, Composer |
Tristan und Isolde, Movement: Mild und leise (Liebestod) |
Richard Wagner, Composer
Alexander Krichel, Piano Richard Wagner, Composer |
Author: Patrick Rucker
Individual tastes in Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes vary widely (my personal favourite is Grainger’s 1928 recording), but Krichel’s dreamy account is sure to win adherents. He invests considerable affective portent in the posthumous variations, placing them as a sequence between Variations 6 and 7, so that momentum builds towards the finale.
Rachmaninov’s overstuffed transcriptions of his friend Fritz Kreisler’s Liebesleid and Liebesfreud threaten to swamp the charming originals. Undaunted, Krichel plays them for all their worth, savouring their fragrance and lilt. The change of milieu from the Russian-inflected Viennese ballroom to the exalted realms of the Liebestod at first seems abrupt. But Krichel brings such earnestness and wonder to the rapture of Wagner’s heroine that we can’t help but succumb to his absorption.
If I were to have a reservation, it would surround An die ferne Geliebte, where Krichel may be overly self-effacing. A more vivid characterisation might enhance the overall effect without damage to the original. But that is but a quibble beside these imaginative performances on a beautifully realised and pleasurable recording.
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