This is certainly a mixed bag, there's good and bad here, first the good, Brahms is a genius, and his Variations in my mind challenge the Beethoven / Eroica and the Bach / Goldberg, yes it's that good, and even an average performance brings out the sheer beauties of invention that this work is teeming with, and Magnan is no hack, she has ideas that are worth listening to, so here's the bad, it really sounds that she doesn't know the work all that well, speeds are on the frightfully fast side on the whole, especially in the first 10 minutes, she's a dedicated 'staccato' Pianist, and she's quite clumsy in her transitions, everything seems jagged instead of smooth, also her colours are suspect, she doesn't seem to be able to individualise and character each variation as if they're different people with different personalities, however here's four of my favourite versions with timings,
Jorge Federico Osorio [ASV] 26 Minutes
Emanuel Ax [Sony] 26 Minutes
Gisele Magnan [Ades] 27 Minutes
Pascal Roge [Decca] 29 Minutes
Claudio Arrau [Philips] 29 Minutes
so in reality she's not really fast at all, but certain variations are indeed bluntly fast, she just sounds in haste instead of poised, i played this disc last year [6th May 2011], and it's good to dip back into my thoughts then, i think i was more easier on her, but the niggly doubts were there, again another off day for me?, or i am i truly getting to know this work, and can much more notice the flaws / magic of each performance?, but don't get me wrong, i still enjoyed hearing Magnan play these Variations today.
Gisele Magnan is French i believe, she recorded this disc in 1995, the front cover photo is by Stephane Ouzounoff, a tall thin shot, i like this idea, hands and face, in comparison the rest of the booklet is stark, but well laid out.
Well the Variations i liked the most were 1, 15 & 20-22, and here's a synopsis of each,
Variation 1 [Track 1 - 0:52-1:38], Straight after the regal theme, comes a bouncy jazzed up version of it, and in its comparison it lifts the spirits into a nice 'get up and dance' feeling, i love the way there's a trill ornamentation at the end of every phrase, it really makes the Variation.
Variation 15 [Track 4 - 0:36-1:18], A nice intense Variation, a bit rushed and garbled here, but the second half has the right hand crying out high in the treble in intensity, a good effect.
Variation 20 [Track 5 - 0:00-1:46], A slow Variation, a certain degree of lethargy to it, but the ending is poised and almost resigned.
Variation 21 [Track 5 - 1:46-2:28], Afterwards comes a beautiful flowing Variation, Magnan plays this really well, one of her better efforts, the treble notes are played with poise, there's a lovely complexity in the upper registers, like a rippling stream.
Variation 22 [Track 5 - 2:29-3:12], Next comes what i call 'the Musical Box' Variation, Magnan plays this too fast, and misses out on some of the delicate poetry that this should emanate, also a touch too loud, but there's no disguising the sheer beauty of it.
Variation 1 [Track 1 - 0:52-1:38], Straight after the regal theme, comes a bouncy jazzed up version of it, and in its comparison it lifts the spirits into a nice 'get up and dance' feeling, i love the way there's a trill ornamentation at the end of every phrase, it really makes the Variation.
Variation 15 [Track 4 - 0:36-1:18], A nice intense Variation, a bit rushed and garbled here, but the second half has the right hand crying out high in the treble in intensity, a good effect.
Variation 20 [Track 5 - 0:00-1:46], A slow Variation, a certain degree of lethargy to it, but the ending is poised and almost resigned.
Variation 21 [Track 5 - 1:46-2:28], Afterwards comes a beautiful flowing Variation, Magnan plays this really well, one of her better efforts, the treble notes are played with poise, there's a lovely complexity in the upper registers, like a rippling stream.
Variation 22 [Track 5 - 2:29-3:12], Next comes what i call 'the Musical Box' Variation, Magnan plays this too fast, and misses out on some of the delicate poetry that this should emanate, also a touch too loud, but there's no disguising the sheer beauty of it.
As per the link above, here's Gisele Magnan's MySpace page, where you can listen to any part of the performance you like.
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