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