Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 Op. 35 & 4 Scherzos

Albumbeschreibung

It's very perplexing why a major label like EMI would choose to omit any and all information about one of the solo artists from the liner notes, especially an artist who has recorded so frequently for the label. Alas, pianist Simon Trpceski is given no special accord other than the printing of his name and picture. Sad really, as it seems that a musician's background tells at least as much about his approach to a piece of music as the selection of the music itself.
Trpceski is clearly a skilled young pianist with ample technique and bravura. But his musical approach to these mammoth Chopin works seems at times a little immature. The First Scherzo suffers from too many tempo fluctuations in an apparent effort to delineate contrasting musical ideas. The result is a somewhat plodding and disjointed performance. The Second and Third scherzos are often too fast for the amount of pedal Trpceski incorporates, rendering busy passages muddy and indistinct. The "snowflakes" of the Third Scherzo lack the true grace and elegance that some more mature artists have achieved. The actual recorded sound is too reverberant for music with as much going on as these scherzos. The balance is also unequal across the keyboard, with the middle register at times much too loud. Listeners may wish to check out the recordings of more seasoned performers for better sound quality and musicianship; Rubinstein and Pollini come immediately to mind.

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