Jed Distler says, "Khatia Calms Down"
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| Posted on December 15, 2014 at 14:03:44 | ||
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Posts: 26432
Location: SF Bay Area Joined: February 17, 2004 Contributor Since: February 6, 2012 |
That would be in today's postings on the "Classics Today" site, in reference to her new Sony release, "Motherland" (cover shown below - you can tell she's calmed down!). Don't get me wrong, I still like Khatia when she's hepped up too, and I still feel she's my bud, even though a couple of her recent live performances I've heard have gotten off the rails too often and too extensively for my taste! I haven't heard this new recording, which contains music mostly of a contemplative nature, on a CD-quality or hi-rez medium yet - only on Spotify at 320 kbps, so my comments at this time are provisional. Khatia has already shown that she can do this type of music extraordinarily well (think: Liszt Liebestraum or Chopin Waltz in C-sharp minor), and she certainly doesn't disappoint here. Quite often, she achieves the deepest emotional effects with this often thrice-familiar repertoire by risking extraordinarily slow tempos, but, through sheer control, she builds astonishing continuity rather than splintering the line into fragments (as all too many other pianists would do at similarly slow tempos). I actually disagree with Distler about her performance of Debussy's "Clair de lune", which, far from "barely clinging to life in the opening section" (per Distler), evokes such vivid and (by turns) subtle hues (even on Spotify!), that you feel (or at least I feel!) that the piece HAS to go this way! Distler also mentions the daringly slow "October" from Tchaikovsky's "The Seasons" (really "The Months"!), and, wow, does she ever bring it off! You just want to shout, "Tchaikovsky! Such marvelous self-pity!". ;-) It's not all slow tracks however: there's a Mendelssohn Song Without Words (Op. 67, No. 2) which moves right along, as well as one of the pieces in Ligeti's "Music Ricercata" (No. 7), which, despite its rapid motion (lots o' notes in a short amount of time), still keeps to the meditative theme of most of the program. One exception to Khatia's penchant for slower than normal tempos is her Dvorak Slavonic Dance in E minor, Op. 72 No. 2, where she's joined in the composer's original four-hand version of the piece by her her sister, Gvantsa. Compared to other renditions, this performance just flies - it's surprising, but, at least IMHO, it works beautifully, thanks to both sisters' control of tone and balance as well as their marvellous leggiero touch! In some pieces, she's not always hyper dramatic either: her wonderful rendition of Chopin's "Cello" Etude in C-sharp minor, Op. 25 No. 7, while very moving in its own right, lacks the almost Kafka-esque (thanks, Harris Goldsmith - RIP!) drama of Moravec's first recording, originally on Connoisseur Society. I guess the only thing I'm really sorry about right now is that I haven't yet been able to read the (per Distler's description) "gushing booklet notes convey[ing] the candor and substance of fan club flattery and paid advertising" - I can hardly wait!!!
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| Chris - have you heard this new release..., posted on December 15, 2014 at 14:58:14 | |
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Posts: 929
Joined: May 6, 2001 |
 I like all of the music included here and wonder if you've heard any of it.
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| Thanks Chris! High praise indeed; looks like I'll have to get this after all (nt), posted on December 16, 2014 at 15:20:55 | |
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Posts: 929
Joined: May 6, 2001 |
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