Search - Franz Liszt, Dmitry Shostakovich, Elisso Wirssaladze :: Elisso Plays Liszt & Shostakovich

Particularly good for the Shostakovich

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 07/03/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've only discovered the playing of Elisso Wirssaladze in the past few weeks and have now obtained several of her recordings, each of which I'll review as I get to them. (The spelling of her name on this release is the German transliteration of her Georgian [Russian] name; in English-speaking countries it is more often spelled 'Virsaladze.') Ms Wirssaladze, about sixty, is a professor of piano at the fabled Moscow Conservatoire. This recording was made on two occasions during live recitals at the Conservatorio Verdi, Milan, the first two selections in 1995, the rest in 2001. This conflated recital starts with an exciting reading of the first Mephisto Waltz of Liszt. [There is applause after each piece, as this is a live recording.] Then she goes on to the Sonetto del Petrarca 104 (from the second Italian year of Liszt's Années de pélerinage) played with songful ardor. It is difficult from these two selections (plus the Liszt/Gounod transcription below) to tell whether Wirssaladze is a true Liszt player, but the indications are that she may indeed be perhaps on the second tier of Liszt players, behind Bolet, Brendel, Kocsis, Wild and a few others. The first two Liszt pieces are nicely played, but not startlingly so.When we get to the Shostakovich, though, we're in different territory. The Op. 35 Préludes have been recorded by Olli Mustonen (strangely coupled with the Alkan Préludes), but compared to this performance by Wirssaladze, they are rather gray. She manages to display the contrapuntal writing limpidly at the same time that she expresses the subtle sarcasm. In the fast préludes with scale passages she is simply nonpareil. The satirical préludes are deliciously sardonic. The final piece is the rumbustious 9-minute Liszt transcription of the Waltz from 'Faust,' by Gounod. This is the most successful of the Liszt pieces (and the most recently recorded; perhaps it means you can get better as you get older--there's hope for all of us!). It is a fittingly virtuosic end to this 53 minute disc. One final word: This disc is issued by the new-to-me 'Live Classics' label. I now have three of their CDs and have to say that whoever had the idea to issue live recordings of piano recitals must have known they were filling a big void. Many of us who buy lots of piano recordings would much prefer live recordings because they preserve a sense of occasion--missed notes and all (and there aren't many on this disc)--and often have an excitement that simply is rare on studio-produced CDs. I'll be looking for more discs from Live Classics which, I was amused to notice, is located on Isolde Street (Isoldenstrasse) in Munich. How apt!Although I have some reservations about the first two Liszt performances, I am very enthusiastic about the Shostakovich and the final Liszt. This CD is a keeper.Review by Scott Morrison"