SCHUMANN, C.: Piano Concerto in A Minor / Piano Trio in G Minor

Album review

Two of Clara Schumann's most popular works are presented on this disc from Naxos featuring Francesco Nicolosi: her Piano Concerto and her Piano Trio. Unfortunately, the sound quality hampers both performances. The sound is distant and echoey -- understandably so, given that it was recorded in a church -- but it is also shallow and flattens the distinction between forte and piano, making the dynamic shadings much less meaningful. On top of that, in the Concerto, there is the sense that Nicolosi is not entirely comfortable with the piece. He knows the notes, knows the dynamics and tempo markings, but the music does not seem to flow easily from his fingers, he's not feeling it. At the end of the first movement, it feels like Nicolosi is emotionally working to get the music out, while he fills the second movement with rubato on every single phrase. The orchestra's cellist manages to keep up exactly with him through their duet in the last part of the movement and have more cohesive shaping than Nicolosi. The final movement is better, mostly because the orchestra, led skillfully by Stefania Rinaldi, has a larger role than in the rest of the concerto. In contrast to all of this is the exceptional performance of the Trio by Nicolosi, violinist Rodolfo Bonucci, and cellist Andrea Noferini. Here Nicolosi is entirely at ease with the music, and the three work extremely well together as an ensemble and in their expression. The outer movements are energetic and dramatic, drawing the listener into the music, while the inner movements are graceful. The sound is again problematic, with the echo adding a sense of sloppiness that does not really exist in the slower movements. The Trio performance aside, it is the sound more than the Concerto performance that tarnishes this album and makes it a disappointment.

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