Chopin Mazurkas, II
Cohen’s pleasing, soft-grained tone cannot make up for a frequent stylistic awkwardness
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Fryderyk Chopin
Label: Glossa
Magazine Review Date: 4/2001
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 85
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: GCD920507
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 51 in A minor, 'A Emile Gaillard', Op. posth ( |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 55 in G, Op. posth (1826) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 56 in B flat, Op. posth (1826) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 59 in B flat, Op. posth (1832) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 60 in D, Op. posth (1832) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 61 in C, Op. posth (1833) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 62 in A flat, Op. posth (1834) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 30 in G, Op. 50/1 (1842) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 31 in A flat, Op. 50/2 (1842) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 32 in C sharp minor, Op. 50/3 (1842) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 33 in B, Op. 56/1 (1843) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 34 in C, Op. 56/2 (1843) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 35 in C minor, Op. 56/3 (1843) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 36 in A minor, Op. 59/1 (1845) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 37 in A flat, Op. 59/2 (1845) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 38 in F sharp minor, Op. 59/3 (1845) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 39 in B, Op. 63/1 (1846) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 40 in F minor, Op. 63/2 (1846) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 41 in C sharp minor, Op. 63/3 (1846) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 42 in G, Op. 67/1 (1835) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 43 in G minor, Op. 67/2 (1849) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 44 in C, Op. 67/3 (1835) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 45 in A minor, Op. 67/4 (1846) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 46 in C, Op. 68/1 (1829) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 47 in A minor, Op. 68/2 (1827) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 48 in F, Op. 68/3 (1829) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 49 in F minor, Op. 68/4 (1849) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
| Mazurkas (Complete), Movement: No. 50 in A minor, 'Notre temps', Op. posth (1840) |
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer
Fryderyk Chopin, Composer Patrick Cohen, Piano |
Author: DuncanDruce
Patrick Cohen plays an Erard piano, c 1855, that seems perfect for Chopin; a warm, rich sonority, admirably clear in the bass, and a slightly soft-edged attack that’s ideal for expressive cantabile playing. The recording brings out these qualities in a sympathetic but intimate ambience that suits Cohen’s approach – he’s never tempted to impose any extraneous showiness; poco piu mosso (in Op 56 No 1, where some pianists hare away) is observed literally.
I didn’t find every aspect of these performances so admirable, however. Some details (the dotted rhythms and grace notes in Op 50 No 2) sound strangely clumsy, and there’s a feeling of heaviness about much of the playing. Sometimes this is a result of the choice of tempo – Op 59 No 2 is extraordinarily slow for Allegretto – in other places it’s because there are lots of expressive hold-ups without any hurrying to catch up. Taking Evgeny Kissin’s versions of some of these Mazurkas for comparison, I was reminded how beautifully balanced his feeling for rubato is.
Cohen is best, I think, in some of the early, op posth mazurkas, played in a simple, unaffected style. Several unfamiliar readings of accidentals and harmonies surprised me; the two beats missing from Op 56 No 1 (track 4, 3'34''), however, seem more like an editing error. And there were places where Cohen doesn’t observe Chopin’s dynamics. Maybe these, too, are alternative versions, but, for example, the diminuendo near the end of Op 50 No 3 (track 3, 4'39'') detracts from a powerful, climactic moment.'
I didn’t find every aspect of these performances so admirable, however. Some details (the dotted rhythms and grace notes in Op 50 No 2) sound strangely clumsy, and there’s a feeling of heaviness about much of the playing. Sometimes this is a result of the choice of tempo – Op 59 No 2 is extraordinarily slow for Allegretto – in other places it’s because there are lots of expressive hold-ups without any hurrying to catch up. Taking Evgeny Kissin’s versions of some of these Mazurkas for comparison, I was reminded how beautifully balanced his feeling for rubato is.
Cohen is best, I think, in some of the early, op posth mazurkas, played in a simple, unaffected style. Several unfamiliar readings of accidentals and harmonies surprised me; the two beats missing from Op 56 No 1 (track 4, 3'34''), however, seem more like an editing error. And there were places where Cohen doesn’t observe Chopin’s dynamics. Maybe these, too, are alternative versions, but, for example, the diminuendo near the end of Op 50 No 3 (track 3, 4'39'') detracts from a powerful, climactic moment.'
Chopin Mazurkas, II
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