‘Some of the finest operatic arias ever written’ is Stephen Hough’s brilliant characterization of the Nocturnes, one which holds the key to his intensely lyrical interpretations of these most perfect of bel canto masterworks.
Les compositions de FIELD sont consacrées au piano et préfigure 30 ans après le choix ultérieur de CHOPIN de se consacrer à cet instrument. Les oeuvres de l'Irlandais reflètent fidèlement les principales caractéristiques de son jeu, Spohr, Hummel, Glinka et Liszt témoignèrent de sa délicatesse et de sa vitesse perlée, de son jeu langoureux et apaisant qui remplaçait la vacuité d'une virtuosité à la mode.
Pollini's traversal of Chopin's 19 Nocturnes (he leaves out the pair of posthumous ones) is one of his finest recordings in years. His long-lined yet detailed performances are comparable to the very different ones that have long stood at the pinnacle of recorded sets. Not as serene as Artur Rubinstein's, not as philosophical as Claudio Arrau's, nor as warm as Ivan Moravec's, Pollini's interpretations have their own allure. One is the way he shapes the melodies with a natural flow enhanced by his tonal beauty, less lean and streamlined than his usual way with Romantic music.
Sibelius's Symphony No.3 was composed in 1907. It is the link between the romantic intensity of his first two symphonies and the more cold complexity of his later symphonies. Symphony No.7 was completed in 1924 and is notable for having only one movement. The Swan of Tuonela is a tone poem based on the Kalevala epic of Finnish mythology. The Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra and Yevgeny Mravinsky pair these with Debussy's Nocturnes Nos.1 & 2.
As one of the foremost interpreters of the piano music of Frédéric Chopin, Nelson Freire has a rather small number of all-digital recordings of this oeuvre on CD, most of them recorded for Decca since 2005. This double-disc package of the nocturnes is an excellent example of Freire's artistry, and the expressive lyricism and refined execution that are hallmarks of his playing are fully evident. The 20 nocturnes are among Chopin's most personal and intimate pieces, and Freire treats them all with tender feeling and a melodic sensibility that emphasize the vocal quality of the ornate melodies.