Search - Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Charles Dutoit, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra :: Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Songs Without Words [Germany]

At last, a new vision!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 09/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The importance of Felix Mendelssohn as piano composer has been overlooked due the historical profile in which he lived and even remarked. Both concerts are not and even don' t pretend to equal with those giants piano concertos of the past such Beethoven or Brahms, this set of concertos are simply a tribute to the instrument, exploring his sonorous possibilities but with gratifying results without major purposes or even ambitions. It lacks the ferocious romantic passion of Schumann `s Concerto; moreover it's is the same line of future piano concertos to come as Rubinstein, Moscheles, Karlbreener, Pixis, Thalberg, Bronsart or Henselt.



What it really matters is the fantastic revival given by Andras Schiff, who, with renovated brio and fervor played this set with admirable freshness under composer' s service.



His songs without words are exquisite. Maybe they lack of the incorporeal pianism or the mesmerizing approach of Guiomar Novaes but definitively has become a step ahead in the last three decades.



Andras Schiff `s refined pianism possesses all the demanded factors required to play and win in Mendelssohn `s piano music; imagination, tune, modulation, velvet fingering and sense of the color in very one of these miniature pieces, that constitute literally a set of picture at exhibition, a photograph album, where the memory and the febrile imagination must make the rest.



As a matter of fact, Franz Liszt would employ the same procedure at the moment to compose his well renowned Pilgrimage years.



We should return to the times of Rudolf Serkin when made a superb rendition of these concertos under Ormandy' s magisterial conduction.



With the arrival and astonishing improvement of the photography to come at last to the Digital Technology, we have technically reached the state of art but visibly have lacked the capacity to evoke, imagine and dream - so normal at those ages - (although the daguerreotype already existed), these fabulous artistic reminiscences will be invaluable with just one condition, there always be a human being able to dream!



Totally recommended.

"