Kissin's extreme contrasts and thoughts on Schumann
Alex Serrano | Perrysburg, Ohio United States | 09/23/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kissin has become lately one of those pianists who inspire quit a bit of controversy - mauled by more than one critic, his audience remains firm in its beleif of his superb pianism. And this release should add even more to the controversy...
In Kissin's hands, Schumann's youthful 1st piano sonata gets what may be the best performance ever captured on disc. Walking a fine line between rhetoric and poetry, this sonata has rarely found an audience or a performer willing to invest as much as Kissin has here. Everything seems to have been thought over and weighed in diligently resulting in a performance that should make this work more avialable to the music world at large. Already, in the first few measures Kissin evokes a soundworld full of passion and optimism and lays the groundwork for the whole sonata. And this level of concentration remains throughout all the contrasts and thorny writing Schumann devised in this work - indeed, Kissin's superior virtuosity and understanding make up for the obvious structural weaknesses some pages of the sonata show. A great performance...
Sizeing up Schumann's Carnaval is different kind of task where pianists such as Cherkassky, Kempff, Rachmaninov, have left us brilliant recordings. In Kissin takes a huge risk in working out his own interpretation at such an early age against such competition - but the results are mostly breathtaking. His technique allows him for incredible speed and clarity when needed, and his temperament finds a welcome home in Schumann's extreme contrasts. Only once in a while do you sense that this performance has been too thought and maybe more simplicity could have done better - but Kissin is so convincing in his own interpretation that one can not help feel that he once again has given us a brilliant performance to treasure along the best avialable."
A Striking Addition to the Kissin Discography...
Al Magliano | Nesconset, NY USA | 07/05/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In my opinion, Evgeny Kissin's musical gifts and individuality have never been more apparent than on this CD. His technique is in top form (as always), and his ideas work brilliantly. The Sonata in F sharp minor Sonata is played convincingly, for once, and Kissin manages to hold together the grossly-overworked fandango rhythms in the first movement. The highlight of this disc, however, is Carnaval. Before I first listened to this CD, I was afraid that Kissin would be much to straight-forward in his approach and fail to convey the spontaneity that this piece requires. I was not disappointed in the least; Kissin's ideas are original and well thought out, and he leans toward the side of self-indulgence, milking every gorgeous episode for all that it's worth. For me, the greatest moments occur in the middle of Valse Noble and in the coda of the last movement. For the coda, Kissin opts for an incredibly rapid tempo which allows him to shape the melody much more definitively and, hence, discover the bigger line. It is one of the most exciting events on record, and every time I listen to it, I am reminded of how much I can't wait until August, when his new all-Brahms CD is set to be released. Keep up the good work, Kissin!"
