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Pierre-Laurent Aimard|Schumann : Etudes symphoniques & Carnaval

Schumann : Etudes symphoniques & Carnaval

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

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Pierre-Laurent Aimard earned a reputation as a pianist unafraid of new music, and he usually achieved high praise for his recordings of twentieth century music. In the early 2000s, however, he returned to older repertoire, with mixed results. This recording of Schumann's Études Symphoniques and Carnaval is one of his better efforts.
The Symphonic Etudes are generally considered one of Schumann's more reasoned works, an exercise in composition as much as a set of exercises for the pianist. Aimard, however, focuses on the temperament of the etudes rather than the ins and outs of Schumann's thoughts on thematic development. It's the careful attention to Schumann's Florestan and Eusebius characters -- named in one of Schumann's early titles for the work "Etudes im Orchestercharakter von Florestan und Eusebius" -- that makes Aimard's performance work. He does always bring out the melody and always makes it move and feel like a singer's interpretation, particularly in variations such as in Etude No. 2, which has a Schubertian, pulsing, chordal accompaniment. Aimard controls his energy and enthusiasm in the more outgoing variations to make every phrase count, just as he brings delicacy and beauty to the more inward-looking "Posthumus Variations" inserted as a group between Etudes No. 7 and No. 8. The finale could stand to have even more of the boldness that he puts into Etude No. 6.
Carnaval is all about character, and Aimard plays with each dance a little more freely than he does the etudes. For the most part his playing is drier (i.e., with less pedaling), than most pianists', making the set less truly dance-like and more stylized in nature. His interpretations range from swirling excitement to hazy dreaminess, but some may find the more relaxed pieces too vague. Aimard chooses to play the Sphinxes, the two four-note ciphers that are the keys to Schumann's themes in Carnaval, and they stick out like a twentieth century serial piece in the middle of the others.
Aimard has a tendency to overthink these two popular Schumann works, but there are many reasons to appreciate his interpretations.
The recording's sound is less dimensional than desired for these temperamental works.

© TiVo

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Schumann : Etudes symphoniques & Carnaval

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

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1
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Theme. Andante
00:01:24

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

2
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation I
00:01:15

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

3
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation II
00:03:03

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

4
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Vivace
00:01:41

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

5
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation III
00:00:56

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

6
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation IV
00:01:20

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

7
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation V
00:00:56

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

8
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation VI
00:01:06

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

9
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, Appendix: Variation I
00:01:48

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

10
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, Appendix: Variation II
00:01:59

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

11
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, Appendix: Variation III
00:01:02

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

12
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, Appendix: Variation IV
00:02:37

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

13
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, Appendix: Variation V
00:02:43

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

14
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation VII
00:02:18

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

15
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Presto possibile
00:00:41

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

16
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation VIII
00:01:12

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

17
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Variation IX
00:02:31

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

18
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13: Finale
00:06:51

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

19
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 1, Préambule
00:02:26

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

20
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 2, Pierrot
00:02:03

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

21
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 3, Arlequin
00:01:03

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

22
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 4, Valse noble
00:02:02

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

23
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 5, Eusebius
00:01:35

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

24
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 6, Florestan
00:00:49

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

25
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 7, Coquette
00:01:30

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

26
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 8, Réplique
00:00:51

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

27
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 9, Sphinxes
00:00:38

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

28
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 10, Papillons
00:00:41

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

29
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 11, Lettres dansantes
00:00:51

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

30
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 12, Chiarina
00:01:19

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

31
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 13, Chopin
00:01:10

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

32
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 14, Estrella
00:00:30

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

33
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 15, Reconnaissance
00:01:50

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

34
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 16, Pantalon et Columbine
00:00:55

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

35
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 17a, Valse allemande
00:00:55

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

36
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 17b, Paganini
00:01:18

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

37
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 18, Aveu
00:01:11

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

38
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 19, Promenade
00:02:13

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

39
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 20, Pause
00:00:19

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

40
Carnaval, Op. 9: No. 21, Marche des Davidsbündler contre les Philistins
00:03:41

Robert Schumann, Composer - Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano, MainArtist

© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK A Warner Classics release, ℗ 2006 Warner Music UK Limited

Album review

Pierre-Laurent Aimard earned a reputation as a pianist unafraid of new music, and he usually achieved high praise for his recordings of twentieth century music. In the early 2000s, however, he returned to older repertoire, with mixed results. This recording of Schumann's Études Symphoniques and Carnaval is one of his better efforts.
The Symphonic Etudes are generally considered one of Schumann's more reasoned works, an exercise in composition as much as a set of exercises for the pianist. Aimard, however, focuses on the temperament of the etudes rather than the ins and outs of Schumann's thoughts on thematic development. It's the careful attention to Schumann's Florestan and Eusebius characters -- named in one of Schumann's early titles for the work "Etudes im Orchestercharakter von Florestan und Eusebius" -- that makes Aimard's performance work. He does always bring out the melody and always makes it move and feel like a singer's interpretation, particularly in variations such as in Etude No. 2, which has a Schubertian, pulsing, chordal accompaniment. Aimard controls his energy and enthusiasm in the more outgoing variations to make every phrase count, just as he brings delicacy and beauty to the more inward-looking "Posthumus Variations" inserted as a group between Etudes No. 7 and No. 8. The finale could stand to have even more of the boldness that he puts into Etude No. 6.
Carnaval is all about character, and Aimard plays with each dance a little more freely than he does the etudes. For the most part his playing is drier (i.e., with less pedaling), than most pianists', making the set less truly dance-like and more stylized in nature. His interpretations range from swirling excitement to hazy dreaminess, but some may find the more relaxed pieces too vague. Aimard chooses to play the Sphinxes, the two four-note ciphers that are the keys to Schumann's themes in Carnaval, and they stick out like a twentieth century serial piece in the middle of the others.
Aimard has a tendency to overthink these two popular Schumann works, but there are many reasons to appreciate his interpretations.
The recording's sound is less dimensional than desired for these temperamental works.

© TiVo

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© 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK ℗ 2006 Warner Classics, Warner Music UK

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