Chopin - 21 Nocturnes [Pires]
I played these discs over three days [seven Nocturnes per day], it's hard to listen to the whole lot in one go, i think it makes me appreciate them all the more, i think i've got six full sets of them now, plus Pollini's nineteen, this is my third favourite, Pires can be quite sharp and intense, a Chopin Nocturne should be informal and soothing, there's something about Pires i don't quite like, maybe it's that everything she does must be a statement, she treats the Nocturnes as if they're cousins of the Etudes, she can use volume to a detrimal effect, all that being said, the positives easily outweigh the negatives here, and it's great that the 21 Noctrnes are laid out in such a methodical order after listening to Rev a couple of weeks ago.
Maria Joao Pires is Portugese, she's now 70, this set of Chopin's Nocturnes is highly regarded, even though there's lots of competition out there, the front cover shows Pires in a relaxed mood [photo by Christian Steiner], superimposed on a nocturnal picture [by Harro Wolter], a nice effect.
On this listen i enjoyed Nocturnes 2, 4, 6-8, 10-11, 13 & 19 the best, however it's hard to pick a real winner out of all of these, Pires seems to inspire up to a point, but fails to reach / do something which makes me think she's got true greatness, each keyboard Artist can do something which really turns your head, something out of the ordinary, these are lovely accounts notwithstanding, if i was to plump for a real gem, i guess it would be Nocturnes 7, 13 & 19, and here's an assessment of each,
Nocturne 7 [5:11] - All three are in the Minor key [is that some message here?], and this one's in C Sharp Minor, it used to be my favourite in the early days of knowing these Nocturnes, from the beginning you straight away notice the underlying anxiety of this piece, it doesn't sound happy at all, a restless right hand rumbles away, like waves roiling on the sea, and the right hand is almost ready to break into anger, there's a stormy middle section [1:57-3:27], one of the reasons initially this was my favourite, possibly the most agitated of all Chopin's Nocturnes, this middle section is strange in that it has Major key sounding resolutions [2:46+], almost happy in its anger, before it slides back down into the depths of despondency again, at the end their is actually a sweet coda [4:11+], a really strange Nocturne indeed.
Nocturne 13 [6:45] - Is in C Minor, straight away more lyrical, but not without it's sadness, but there's more nobility there, the middle section is a calm on a troubled sea [2:03+], or it is initially, but develops slowly into something grand and pompous, until it explodes in glory [3:54+], after that it never seems the same, the opening tune comes back [4:19+], but now it's in a more happier and brighter mood, trying to turn itself into a Ballade or something, it's a real chameleon, there's a sort of resignation at the end [6:23+].
Nocturne 19 [4:08] - In E Minor, a seemingly low key Nocturne, Chopin had reservations about it, and he didn't have it published, maybe because it's not quite so individual as the rest, but it's lovely nonetheless, there's a restlessness about it, it doesn't have a middle section like the rest, even though it tries a few things, trying an intensity in the middle, and i guess there's a sort of calm coda towards the end [3:02+], as it slows down to a close.
Here's Pires playing the 21 Nocturnes on YouTube, underneath just before the comments it has a section which can be opened up [saying 'show more'], this has the timings for the individual Nocturnes, hover over them and they turn blue and are clickable, they send you straight to the applicable Nocturne.
Maria Joao Pires is Portugese, she's now 70, this set of Chopin's Nocturnes is highly regarded, even though there's lots of competition out there, the front cover shows Pires in a relaxed mood [photo by Christian Steiner], superimposed on a nocturnal picture [by Harro Wolter], a nice effect.
On this listen i enjoyed Nocturnes 2, 4, 6-8, 10-11, 13 & 19 the best, however it's hard to pick a real winner out of all of these, Pires seems to inspire up to a point, but fails to reach / do something which makes me think she's got true greatness, each keyboard Artist can do something which really turns your head, something out of the ordinary, these are lovely accounts notwithstanding, if i was to plump for a real gem, i guess it would be Nocturnes 7, 13 & 19, and here's an assessment of each,
Nocturne 7 [5:11] - All three are in the Minor key [is that some message here?], and this one's in C Sharp Minor, it used to be my favourite in the early days of knowing these Nocturnes, from the beginning you straight away notice the underlying anxiety of this piece, it doesn't sound happy at all, a restless right hand rumbles away, like waves roiling on the sea, and the right hand is almost ready to break into anger, there's a stormy middle section [1:57-3:27], one of the reasons initially this was my favourite, possibly the most agitated of all Chopin's Nocturnes, this middle section is strange in that it has Major key sounding resolutions [2:46+], almost happy in its anger, before it slides back down into the depths of despondency again, at the end their is actually a sweet coda [4:11+], a really strange Nocturne indeed.
Nocturne 13 [6:45] - Is in C Minor, straight away more lyrical, but not without it's sadness, but there's more nobility there, the middle section is a calm on a troubled sea [2:03+], or it is initially, but develops slowly into something grand and pompous, until it explodes in glory [3:54+], after that it never seems the same, the opening tune comes back [4:19+], but now it's in a more happier and brighter mood, trying to turn itself into a Ballade or something, it's a real chameleon, there's a sort of resignation at the end [6:23+].
Nocturne 19 [4:08] - In E Minor, a seemingly low key Nocturne, Chopin had reservations about it, and he didn't have it published, maybe because it's not quite so individual as the rest, but it's lovely nonetheless, there's a restlessness about it, it doesn't have a middle section like the rest, even though it tries a few things, trying an intensity in the middle, and i guess there's a sort of calm coda towards the end [3:02+], as it slows down to a close.
Here's Pires playing the 21 Nocturnes on YouTube, underneath just before the comments it has a section which can be opened up [saying 'show more'], this has the timings for the individual Nocturnes, hover over them and they turn blue and are clickable, they send you straight to the applicable Nocturne.
