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For some reason, playing Schumann well seems to escape a lot of otherwise great pianists. Too often these pieces are played brusquely and hurriedly making for a jarring listening experience. So I felt I was taking a risk when I picked this up because I wanted a performance of the Kinderszenen and this CD was on sale. I was previously unfamiliar with Nelson Freire.
Well sometimes risk pays off handsomely. Mr. Freire turns out to be a master of Schumann interpretation. He sees the delicacy and beauty in all of these works and it makes for a very enjoyable listen. In his hands, Schumann easily comes off as an equal to Chopin for piano composition among his Romantic contemporaries. The recorded performance on the Steinway is reference quality.
Although these works differ thematically, what they have in common is that they are each made up of multiple short (typically 40 seconds) vignettes, so this really foreshadows Impressionism. I'm not quite as keen on the Papillons as on the Carnaval and the Kinderszenen, but that's just my personal taste. For thoroughly convincing performances of all of these lovely works, look no further."
Stunning Performance
E. H. Walley | 07/26/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you think you don't love the piano music of Schumann, it's because you haven't heard it played by Nelson Freire. Great Schumann interpreters are rare today - thank goodness we have these gems from Freire where the potential of the music is realized. Each piece glows with beauty. The sad thing is that Freire hasn't recorded more Schumann - or more of anything for that matter. Add this beautiful performance to your collection and it is sure to be a favorite."
Nelson Freire and Schumann
Hubert S. Mickel | 07/24/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Nelson Freire, the Brazilian pianist, is recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. His recent recordings will allow him to accumulate the recognition that he deserves. That he deserves recognition is clear in his interpretation and performance of Carnaval, Papillons, Kinderszenen, and Arabesque. I especially appreciated these performances because they reflected the phrasing and tempo of my own attempts to play them.
I feel comfortable in stating that you will find no better interpretations or performances of Schumann's piano music than those on this CD."
Technical Note: Typo in metadata on this CD
Thomas Ramey | 06/11/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Note folks, a small technical detail... if you rip this CD to your mp3 player for instance, to listen to while working in the yard or garage or whatever, you'll see that the Decca (record label) staff have mis-spelled Nelson Freire on all the track headers (meta-data) and call him Nelson Friere (i and e transposed). This will trip you up when adding the CD to your media library in Windows Media, your iPod, and other digital devices/destinations. There are 47 tracks on this CD, so going in and correcting this by hand will be laborious. At least they got his name right on the album cover!"
The highlight is a vibrant 'Carnaval' that seems invented on
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 04/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All the previous reviews have been by fans who find this Schumann program from Nelson Freire self-recommending. I approached it not having heard Freire in decades. Here he is from 2002, in his late fifties, playing on a vintage Steinway in Milan. At first the instrument gave me pause. Decca found an exquisite modern piano for Freire's Chopin, but the timbre of this one is buzzy when the strings are struck hard, and there's not the rich fullness I'd hoped to hear. But those considerations are minor and rarely figure when Freire plays softly.
The real success here is Freire's bold, extrovert Carnaval. Schumann's piano writing invites pianists to express themselves freely with plentiful rubato, romantic rhapsodizing, and strong contrasts between light and dark. But Carnaval is essentially joyous and vibrant all the way through, with a few excusions into limpid lyricism. Freire is very free with tempos, and he has Richter's habit of leaning impatiently into the line, which can be quite exciting. Carnaval suits this approach; the result is one of the most vital readings I've heard in a long time, totally free of fussiness, seemingly improvised on the spot. (If only he had slowed down and been more tender in the portrait of Chopin, no. 12.)
But Papillons and Kinderszenen are not quite as compelling. Leaning constantly into the tempo makes both cycles feel restless and ungrounded. I didn't get the impression that Freire was paying enough attention to each individual number, nor was he willing to change his style to suit their differences -- everything becomes free form and slightly pushed. But that's not to cite any faults; I imagine my interest would be rekindled if I weren't listening to the whole CD at one sitting.
If you want a superb Carnaval that sounds different Michelangeli's and Uchida's (to name two personal favorites), and which avoids Kissin's heaviness and Kempff's brittleness (to name two non-favorites), Freire is a lovely alternative."
