Review: Alice Sara Ott: Chopin Complete Waltzes

Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon
Year: 2010
Artist: Alice Sara Ott

There are probably several hundred recordings of Chopin’s body of work, ranging from the truly atrocious to the sublime. Associated as he is with the Romantic era, many artists of the modern attempt to infuse their interpretations with pathos and melodrama by taking vast liberties with phrasing, pedalling, and tempo. Other performers take a more impressionistic view to the score: if Chopin spent weeks labouring over each and every bar, maybe he made a mistake, leaving in some of those horrible notes in the long runs or massive chords. Volume and speed are equated with passion, not a fussy insistence upon hitting the right notes in the right way: wasn’t that what Romantic era music about?

Ms. Ott does not so much play these waltzes as allow them to unfold. Each overlapping voice is enunciated clearly; the pedal is restrained and is never allowed to become muddy and indistinct. She has a peculiar ability to make each chord sound perfectly natural and easy; there is no hint of any finger-busting struggle to cover distance on the keyboard. Every phrase is rounded and given its moment to sing. She allows both the harmonies and dissonances to work their own particular magic, without having to resort to cheap dynamic tricks. Even the most delicate notes are played with poise and attention. Occasionally she offers a different voicing (such as in the supporting left-hand line towards the end of Op 64 No 2) to keep the music lively and fresh; Chopin’s endless repetitions do not seem quite so laboured. Most of her tempi reflect the heritage of these Waltzes, and move at a reasonable clip. The inclusion of the posthumous Nocturne (No. 20, in C-sharp minor) is a welcome surprise, a lovely dessert for this feast of music.

In short, there is much to recommend this mature, balanced recording that will bear repeated scrutiny, and it shines in comparison to other contemporary recordings. I think even Chopin would have approved of it.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 15:54:01 and is filed under Compact Discs, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.