Notes and Editorial Reviews
LA VALSE À MILLE TEMPS
•
Inge Spinette, Jan Michiels (pn)
•
FUGA LIBERA 577 (72:49)
SCHUBERT
German Dances.
RIHM
Mehere kurze Waltzer.
BRAHMS
Waltzes,
op. 39.
R. STRAUSS
Der Rosenkavalier:
Waltzes.
RAVEL
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La Valse
For some reason, our beloved editor has anointed me as one of his four-hand piano music mavens, so I get to hear a lot of music in that category. And yet here is a recording that stands out from the pack. The whole production is thoughtful and elegant, and even though the majority of the material is already well represented elsewhere, the unusual manner in which it is presented puts the music in a new light. The unique structural device of this recital is to play the whole body of music as a kind of giant suite, with the remarkably characterful waltzes of Wolfgang Rihm, written throughout the 1980s, interspersed among the more familiar fare. Rihm borrows gestures and moods from all of the other masters of the waltz he shares the program with, so that his pieces make for fluid bridges between the works. This sense of continuity is abetted by the fact that Brahms was the editor of the Schubert waltzes, which lends a natural influence on his own delightful music.
Inge Spinette and Jan Michiels are Eurocentric performers (both are Belgian). There is something appealingly Old World about their playing. It is never flashy; there is never a sense that they are playing too loud or too fast. Spot-on precision is not critical to their style, but the occasional lapse in perfectly vertical coordination in no way detracts from the charm of this playing. The rhythmic flow of the music seems to emanate from their very spirit, with a lilt and an application of
luftpausen
that seems as natural as breathing.
Even the choice of instrument is significant. Spinette and Michiels play an 1892 Érard, a piano with construction that places it well into the modern era, but with a noticeably softer action and tonality. The effect is subtle, but careful listening will reveal woodier, less steely coloration than you would get on a contemporary Steinway, say. There is less brilliance but more timbral delicacy.
Ridiculously charming music-making, decent natural sounding recording, smart and insightful notes by Jan Michiels, attractive packaging; what more can you ask for? This is a first-class production all the way.
FANFARE: Peter Burwasser
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Works on This Recording
1.
Ländler (17) for Piano, D 366 by Franz Schubert
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Duo Spinette-Michiels
Period: Romantic
Written: 1816-1824; Vienna, Austria
Venue: Brussels, Royal Conservatory, Concert Ha
Length: 9 Minutes 28 Secs.
2.
Waltzes (16) for Piano 4 hands, Op. 39 by Johannes Brahms
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Duo Spinette-Michiels
Period: Romantic
Written: 1865; Austria
Venue: Brussels, Royal Conservatory, Concert Ha
Length: 15 Minutes 13 Secs.
4.
La valse by Maurice Ravel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Duo Spinette-Michiels
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1920; France
Venue: Brussels, Royal Conservatory, Concert Ha
Length: 12 Minutes 1 Secs.
5.
Mehrere kurze Walzer, for piano, 4 hands by Wolfgang Rihm
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Duo Spinette-Michiels
Period: Contemporary
Written: 1979-1988
Venue: Brussels, Royal Conservatory, Concert Ha
Length: 15 Minutes 42 Secs.
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