Frédéric Chopin
(1810-1849)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor Op. 21
1
Maestoso
14. 04
2
Larghetto
9. 08
3
Allegro vivace
8. 34
Carl Loewe (1796-1869)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in A
4
Allegro maestoso
9. 52
5
Espaniola (Andante grazioso)
7. 43
6
Rondo (Vivace)
10. 23
total playingtime:
60. 08
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor
Op. 21
Carl Loewe (1796-1869) Piano Concerto No. 2 in A
Mari
Kodama, piano
Russian National Orchestra
conducted by Kent
Nagano
PTC 5186 026 DSD recorded
Virtuoso
fireworks
The programme of the CD at hand may appear odd at first, perhaps even a little
wilful – however, it is at least exciting and conspicuous, as it heralds
the meeting of Frédéric Chopin‘s Piano Concerto in F minor
with Carl Loewe‘s Piano Concerto in A, two heavyweight virtuoso concertos – one
of them stemming from the quill
of the "Paganini of the Piano", the other from that of the "King
of the Vocal Ballad". So what can be expected? More than an hour of highly
polished pianistic jewels displayed upon a luxurious silken orchestral carpet.
Nothing more, but also nothing less: for an in-depth discussion about the status
and value of the works in the piano-concerto genre does not arise, as neither
work is based on the Classical symphonic concerto (with its ingenious dialogue
structures between the soloist and orchestra as equal partners) which had already
been elaborated upon and perfected by Mozart and Beethoven. These compositions
are much more representatives of the "Virtuoso Concerto" genre, where
nothing must distract the listener from the playing of the soloist. Here, the
duty of the orchestra is simply to increase the excitement of the public with
regard to the longed-for entrance of the soloist by first presenting an extensive
orchestral exposition, and then providing melodic and harmonic support in the
further course of the brilliant solo part.
According to the opus number, Frédéric Chopin‘s Piano Concerto
No. 2
in F minor, Op. 21 is his second in the genre, however, this is the first piano
concerto composed by the Polish poet of the piano. The three-movement work
was written in the year 1830 and was given its première on March 17
that year in Warsaw by the composer himself, in a performance which was customary
of the times: following the first movement, an Overture by Josef Elsner and
a divertimento for hunting horn was squeezed in... (a system difficult to comprehend
for contemporary concert-goers, as well as for our understanding of the work
as a whole!) All typical Chopinesque characteristics are audible in the F-minor
Concerto, however, they are presented in an interwoven manner, not in isolation:
the nationalistic style, the glittering pianistic technique and the truly romantic
expressivity. In the first movement (Maestoso) the orchestra displays the thematic
material of the movement in an extensive exposition, before the piano enters
upon the scene in an impressive cascade of semiquavers. After the development,
which is full of modulations and dominated by the solo instrument and
a sextuplet motif, the abbreviated recapitulation takes over, before the orchestra
completes the movement. The three-part Larghetto is one of the most poetic
movements written by Chopin; here, the melodies flow forth in an apparently
endless stream over the floating harmonies of the orchestra. The Finale (Allegro
vivace) is a fascinating and brilliant Mazurka. Pianistic glitter and virtuoso
playing is audible everywhere.
The fact that the instrumental works – and especially both piano concertos – by
Carl Loewe (1796-1869) do not appear even in more recent anthologies,
is not necessarily an indication of the value placed on these pieces in the
history of music. It is just that, so far, they have not managed to conquer
their own place in concerto repertoire. Loewe‘s compositional capabilities,
his indisputable class is demonstrated mainly in the vocal field, especially
in the ballad and the Lied. In these dramatic miniatures, he united the principles
of through-composition and sonata form in a most effective and especially innovative
manner, whereas in his much larger concerto works, he stressed the virtuoso
side of the soloist’s part, which was not necessarily bound to any certain
form.
We know that he himself gave the première of his Piano Concerto in A,
which is available in manuscript form, on March 10, 1831 in Berlin. As he wrote: "Hereupon
followed my Concerto in A for pianoforte with orchestral accompaniment. The
excellent orchestra had the opportunity to compete with me." From these
few lines, we learn a lot about the work, which is composed along major lines
and lasts for half an hour: accordingly, the orchestra has purely an accompanying
role, while the soloist is given a free hand to show his skill. And the term "compete" refers
to the exclusively virtuoso character of the concerto accompanied by large
orchestra. The encyclopaedia MGG describes the piano part as "overloaded
with passage-work". And truly, here the soloist literally has his hands
full. In the middle movement, Andante grazioso, the orchestral parts are limited
to strings and wood-winds, in order not to hinder the melodic development of
the piano.
Kent
Nagano
Kent Nagano is a member of the Russian National Orchestra Conductor Collegium
and has served as artistic director for several RNO commissioning projects.
Renowned for his gifted interpretations of both the orchestral and operatic
repertoire, he is Chief Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester
Berlin, Principal Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera and Music Director
of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. Starting in 2006, he will become Generalmusikdirektor
of the Bayerische Staatsoper.
Nagano was Music Director of England’s venerable Hallé Orchestra
from 1991-2000, and of the Opéra de Lyon from 1989 to 1999. In both
former positions, he was credited with bringing his ensembles to the forefront
in the international scene through innovative programming and acclaimed concerts,
tours and recordings.
Guest conducting appearances include the Paris Opera, La Scala, Metropolitan
Opera, San Francisco Opera, Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra,
Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony
and Berlin Philharmonic. He regularly leads productions at the Salzburg Festival
and at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Among the world's most recorded conductors, Nagano has been recognized with
three Grammy Awards, the Edison Award, several Gramophone Awards and, on
three occasions, the Grand Prix du Disque. He is an Officer in France's Order
of Arts and Letters and has been honored as Conductor of the Year in England,
Personality of the Year in France and Musical America's 2001 Conductor of
the Year.
Nagano’s forthcoming projects with the RNO include several recordings,
commissions and premieres.
MARI
KODAMA
Mari Kodama was born in Osaka, Japan and began playing the piano at the age of
three with her mother. Her family moved to Europe when she was six. Eight years
later she entered the Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris aged 14, where
she studied piano with Germaine Mounier and chamber music with Genevieve Joy-Dutilleux.
Three years later, she obtained the premier prix and completed her studies with
honours (cycle de perfectionnement) at the age of 19. While still a student,
she won prizes at several international competitions (including Jeunesse Musicale
de Suisse, Viotti - Valsesia, Citta di Senigallia, and F. Busoni in Bolzano).
After completing her studies, she was immediately invited by the London Philharmonic
Orchestra to play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3, followed by a recital
at the Southbank Centre. Gramophone reviewed her later recording of this work
under conductor Kent Nagano as follows: "Mari Kodama's tone is beautifully
shaded and she makes a lovely, liquid sound… piano playing
of a distinctive sensitivity…It all adds up to a genuinely fresh, and refreshing
view…" Since then, she has given concerts in Europe, USA, Singapore
and Japan, where she made her orchestral debut in Tokyo under Raymond Leppard
in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G.
Major orchestras with which Mari Kodama has performed include the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Halle Orchestra,
Norddeutsche Rundfunk, Dutch Radio Chamber Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, American
Symphony Orchestra and the NHK. She has played under the baton of conductors
such as Charles Dutoit, Frans Brüggen, Raymond Leppard, Kent Nagano, and
Bernhard Klee.
She has also performed at the festivals in Salzburg, Evian, Aix-en-Province,
Montpellier, Verbier, Aldeburgh, Ravinia and Aspen, as well as at the Hollywood
Bowl (USA), Midsummer Mozart (USA) and Saito Kinen (Japan) festivals.
Her chamber-music activities include concert tours with Mstislav Rostropovich,
and this summer (June 2003) sees the opening of her own festival in San Francisco,
in which she is playing with the Trio Plus from Vienna. Mari Kodama has also
worked with pianists Tatiana Nikolaeva and Alfred Brendel.
Highlights of recent seasons include recitals at Mostly Mozart Festival (Lincoln
Center), the Bard Music Festival (playing Schoenberg) and the Midsummer Mozart
Festival (with Mozart Piano Concertos in San Francisco, Berkeley and Stanford).
In her New York recital debut, Mari Kodama played in Carnegie Hall. She also
performed in the Ravinia Festival’s Rising Stars Series and at the Aspen
Music Festival, and gave concerts with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic
(at the Hollywood Bowl) and the San Diego Chamber Symphony. In autumn 2000, she
began her second complete Beethoven Piano Sonata Cycle in Los Angeles and Pasadena.
The Los Angeles Times reviewed her Beethoven as follows: "She has an elegant
touch, an admirable sense of quality and a rhythmic scrupulousness. She thinks
in keyboard colors and has a rainbow of tints at her disposal. There is a feline
grace to her phrasing. Also feline is the way she will pounce on a percussive
passage -- suddenly, boldly, precisely, as if for the kill -- and from that comes
her most dramatic playing. Her tone (…) was rich
and gorgeous."
“Catchy
is the very differentiated piano pallet of Mari Kodama: subtle, gracious
with a lot of sparkling-sensitive details. Her virtuosity possesses a poetic
calm,
but shines with every note..” ---Luister (May 2004)
“Mari Kodama who numbers Brendel and Tatiana Nikolaeva among her teachers,
is an impressive soloist happy to note-spin with all the required ease and facility
in the Loewe and to provide a good deal more in the Chopin.” ---Bryce Morrison, Gramophone (April 2004)
“Immediately at bar 1 the prejudice disappears. The way in which in a
modest and courteous manner the musical thoughts are presented shows a refined
ability to compose for the piano.” ---Stephen Westra, Klassieke Zaken
“The recording was made direct to DSD only last year in Moscow and
is a clever pairing of two super virtuoso piano concertos back to back. The
focus of the music and the sound is directly on the piano soloist and Kodama
shines brilliantly......The surround mix is very natural and involving in
its capturing the ambience of the concert hall.” ---John Sunier, Audiophile Audition
“Aided and ably abetted by Kent Nagano and the Russian National Orchestra,
the young formidably equipped Japanes pianist Mari Kodama has a lot of fun
with the concerto, especially in its delightful, slightly cracked brained
finale.” ---Jim Svejda, KUSC –CD Reviews