Search - Chopin, Pommier :: Chopin: Waltzes

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT

Melvyn M. Sobel | Freeport (Long Island), New York | 08/31/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Suave legato, with a hint of informed rubato, gives shape and style to these performances of the Waltzes, but rarely substance, mood or dimension. Unsentimental in approach, Pommier delivers fluid accuracy with cautious charm. There are no extremes here, few titillating eccentricities, and seldom does the artist's spontaneity seem to evolve from the imagination. The suggestion of wisdom is curiously absent, also the requisite subtle melancholy. This is certainly problematic, especially in works as mutable as these. So, although appealing enough, perhaps the playing is just shy of being memorable; however, there are enough felicitous and musical touches to delight, and the recording itself, warmly-lit and attractive, adds intimacy.



[Running time: 57:30]

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