Search - Frederic Chopin, Antonio Barbosa :: Frédéric Chopin: Mazurkas (Complete)

Very Attractive Color-laden Performances

Doug - Haydn Fan | California | 04/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Some pianists were born to play Chopin: the late Antonio Barbosa, who died of a heart attack in Brazil in 1993, certainly was one of them. Barbosa first came to International prominence after a series of striking records made for the Connoisseur Society label in the early 1970's. Recordings of the Waltzes, the Sonatas, the Scherzi were imbued with a remarkable affinty for Chopin's music, with Barbosa winning over many of the major critics of the day, including the dean of piano critics, Harris Goldsmith. These performances never exceeded the boundaries of musical beauty - even in loud passages Barbosa never became clangorous or hard of tone. What was also remarkable was an innate sense of both rhythm and structure, which the artist played off with an enviable touch on the pedal - Barbosa was above all a colorist!



Sadly, these great early recordings are locked in the limbo surrounding Connoisseur Society, and despite some signs of life, this now defunct company's body of recordings, a very fine one, remains unobtainable.



Despite support by such luminaries as Horowitz and Arrau, Barbosa's career slowly dried up: when Connoisseur Society faded from the music scene he also largely disappeared as a recording artist. Why this occurred I can't say. His fellow Connoisseur artist Ivan Moravec went on to an illustrious career. Perhaps there was only room for one Chopin star?



This set of Mazurkas represents one of the last recordings of Barbosa, and it is the last example we have of his Chopin playing. Recorded in New York in the early winter of 1988 using a Hamburg Steinway, this was originally issued in 1991.



Listening it's clear right off Barbosa's approach will be to heighten the beauties and bring colors ahead of the harsher dance elements. Where most approaches to these works bring out an intensity and forcefulness, Barbosa tracks differently; a bewildering boquet of ever-expanding graces of style dominate this set of Mazurkas. Charm, beautiful decorations, and elegant and clear pedaling make these performances enchanting listening. Barbosa spent a great deal of time preparing this undertaking, and his recording offers a continuing display of pleasures for fans of the Mazurkas, these most demanding and enigmatic of all Chopin's works. Of especial note is his outstanding rendition of the "Rondo All Mazurka", added as an extra.



For buyers who wish only one set of the Mazurkas this set falls a little short of the Rubinstein. The great man recorded the complete Mazurkas three times - so you are left to choose. The set of his I like best, though all are imposing and wonderful, would be, Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 27 For more information on these different Rubinstein offerings of the complete Mazurkas see the fine review of this set.



Two artists from early days who also excelled at the quirky romanticism of the Mazurkas were, in 1951 and 1952,William Kapell Chopin: Mazurkas this produced by RCA's legendary John Pfeiffer;

and, even earlier, Ignaz Friedman Ignaz Friedman: Complete Recordings, Vol. 3 Both of these are as good as it gets in this music.



Horowitz also was superb in the Mazurkas, as was Michelangeli.



For another listen to Barbosa try his go at Debussy, recorded near the end of his life. Antonio Barbosa: Pianist On the last five works of Debussy's second Book of Preludes Barbosa turns up the heat and shows tremdendous brio and stunning mastery of the pedal. This Cd also has 12 works by Milhuad, which I don't care for, but which Barbosa plays with great conviction."