Arcadi Volodos - Volodos in Vienna (2009) [SACD]
![Arcadi Volodos - Volodos in Vienna (2009) [SACD]](https://www.dibpic.com/uploads/posts/2021-12/1638405311_folder.jpg)
BAND/ARTIST: Arcadi Volodos
- Title: Volodos in Vienna
- Year Of Release: 2009
- Label: Sony Classical [88697636922]
- Genre: Classical
- Quality: DSD64 image (*.iso) / 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz
- Total Time: 01:23:47
- Total Size: 5,35 GB (+3%rec.)
- WebSite: Album Preview
The gifted Arcadi Volodos is already set on the Celebrity Recital trackway. Here we have a 2-disc set of his appearance in March 2009 at the famous Grosser Saal of the Musikverein in Vienna. The recital is well-balanced, with short works of little technical difficulty (but great interpretative potential) set against some technically challenging masterpieces.
The opening group is Scriabin's province, clearly a composer dear to the pianist's heart. The rapt and mostly silent audience are treated to four jewel-like short works, which Volodos reproduces with a dazzling array of subtle colours and nuances without any trace of over-sentimentality or textual distortion. Scriabin's challenging, profoundly disturbing and elusive 'White Mass' Sonata no. 7 follows, given a performance which perhaps outdoes those of Hamelin and Askenazy in its voluptuous stillness, delicate contrapuntal ecstasy and fluid, improvisatory approach to the ultimate climax.
Ravel's 'Valses nobles et sentimentales' are also given a luminous performance, mindful of their Schubertian origins and the composer's tongue-in-cheek manipulation of the Viennese waltz into an utterly French form. Volodos conjures an amazing palette of tone colours here, from garish primaries in the first waltz through the myriad subtle shades of those following. His playing is fragrantly perfumed and oozes with veiled eroticism and subliminal jazz references. A marvellous exhibition of exquisitely tasteful pianistic control, surpassing even that of Gieseking, Collard and Angela Hewett's RBCD recordings.
On the second disc, we are treated to Volodos' seemingly intuitive instinct for Schumann. His 'Waldszenen' Op. 82 are imbued with Schumann's recollection of childhood romance and myth in the magical forests of his imagination. Each tiny piece is given a warm and affectionate characterisation by the pianist. All is carefully based on Schumann's detailed instructions, even to his experimental pedal markings, notable at the end of several pieces, where the composer attempts an effect probably only audible on a C19th fortepiano, of holding the pedal down over the last few bars while playing short-lived chords with rests between. A luminous, rapt and exquisite reading, which makes even Kempff's version seem somewhat stiff and prosaic.
Liszt's barnstorming Dante Sonata, recounting the poet's vision of Hell, is an old warhorse, but mounted here anew. This is a volatile and epic performance, transporting the listener into an unfolding graphic narrative which is gripping from start to finish. Volodos almost makes us forget the technical hurdles of double octave blizzards and Liszt's strenuous tremolos across the keyboard range in search of an full orchestral effect. I find this reading even more dazzling than Lazar Berman's RBCD. No matter that Volodos runs roughshod over several of Liszt's quieter dynamic markings; such things happen during the heat of concert performance. After some enthusiastic applause, Volodos winds down with three choice encores in which his warm singing tone and gentle caressing touch once more beguile his audience.
The success of this recording from a live recital owes much to the Sony engineers overcoming the tricky acoustics of the big Musikverein hall to produce a superlatively natural sound. The magisterial Steinway has great presence yet clearly is allowed to play into the hall's acoustic without microphones inside the lid. All the energy with which it excites the space is faithfully recorded in a sonic aura, enriching the piano timbre considerably. The lowest octaves resound impressively with the company's trademark basso growl, and the highest octave gleams incisively but without the slightest distortion of upper partials. In stereo, the result is remarkably realistic. With multichannel 5.1, tiny incidental noises from the audience inform the brain of the instrument's acoustic space, as do the brief periods of applause after the major works and at the beginning of Disc 2. I'm very pleased that the producers did not attempt to remove all applause and attempt to present this as studio-bound, because the illusion of being in the best seat of the house at that recital is utterly convincing.
Undoubtedly the best piano recital record I have come across from 2009, and a set to cherish.
Tracks:
SACD1:
Alexander Scriabin
01. Prélude, Op.37/1 - 2:01
02. Prélude, Op.11/16 - 2:16
03. Dance languide, Op.51/4 (from Pieces for Piano, Op.51) - 1:04
04. Guirlandes, Op.73/1 (from Pieces for Piano, Op.51) - 3:14
05. Piano Sonata No.7, Op.64 "White Mass" - 12:21
Maurice Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
06. I. Modéré - 1:22
07. II. Assez lent - 2:18
08. III. Modéré - 1:19
09. IV. Assez animé - 1:02
10. V. Presque lent - 1:15
11. VI. Assez vif - 0:41
12. VII. Moins vif - 2:48
13. VIII. Epilogue (Lent) - 4:38
SACD2:
Robert Schumann: Waldszenen, Op.82
01. I. Eintritt im Walde - 2:04
02. II. Jäger auf der Lauer - 1:25
03. III. Einsame Blumen - 2:13
04. IV. Verrufene Stelle - 3:20
05. V. Freundliche Landschaft - 1:11
06. VI. Herberge - 2:02
07. VII. Vogel als Prophet - 2:48
08. VIII. Jagdlied - 2:23
09. IX. Abschied - 4:14
10. Franz Liszt: Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata (Années de pèlerinage II, S.161 No.7) - 16:58
Encores
11. Johann Sebastian Bach: Sicilienne (from Concerto in D minor, BWV 596) - 3:25
12. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Children's Songs, Op.54: X. Berceuse - 3:27
13. Alexander Scriabin: Feuille d'album, Op.45/1 (from Pieces for Piano, Op. 45) - 1:58
![Arcadi Volodos - Volodos in Vienna (2009) [SACD]](https://www.dibpic.com/uploads/posts/2021-12/1638405276_back.jpg)
The opening group is Scriabin's province, clearly a composer dear to the pianist's heart. The rapt and mostly silent audience are treated to four jewel-like short works, which Volodos reproduces with a dazzling array of subtle colours and nuances without any trace of over-sentimentality or textual distortion. Scriabin's challenging, profoundly disturbing and elusive 'White Mass' Sonata no. 7 follows, given a performance which perhaps outdoes those of Hamelin and Askenazy in its voluptuous stillness, delicate contrapuntal ecstasy and fluid, improvisatory approach to the ultimate climax.
Ravel's 'Valses nobles et sentimentales' are also given a luminous performance, mindful of their Schubertian origins and the composer's tongue-in-cheek manipulation of the Viennese waltz into an utterly French form. Volodos conjures an amazing palette of tone colours here, from garish primaries in the first waltz through the myriad subtle shades of those following. His playing is fragrantly perfumed and oozes with veiled eroticism and subliminal jazz references. A marvellous exhibition of exquisitely tasteful pianistic control, surpassing even that of Gieseking, Collard and Angela Hewett's RBCD recordings.
On the second disc, we are treated to Volodos' seemingly intuitive instinct for Schumann. His 'Waldszenen' Op. 82 are imbued with Schumann's recollection of childhood romance and myth in the magical forests of his imagination. Each tiny piece is given a warm and affectionate characterisation by the pianist. All is carefully based on Schumann's detailed instructions, even to his experimental pedal markings, notable at the end of several pieces, where the composer attempts an effect probably only audible on a C19th fortepiano, of holding the pedal down over the last few bars while playing short-lived chords with rests between. A luminous, rapt and exquisite reading, which makes even Kempff's version seem somewhat stiff and prosaic.
Liszt's barnstorming Dante Sonata, recounting the poet's vision of Hell, is an old warhorse, but mounted here anew. This is a volatile and epic performance, transporting the listener into an unfolding graphic narrative which is gripping from start to finish. Volodos almost makes us forget the technical hurdles of double octave blizzards and Liszt's strenuous tremolos across the keyboard range in search of an full orchestral effect. I find this reading even more dazzling than Lazar Berman's RBCD. No matter that Volodos runs roughshod over several of Liszt's quieter dynamic markings; such things happen during the heat of concert performance. After some enthusiastic applause, Volodos winds down with three choice encores in which his warm singing tone and gentle caressing touch once more beguile his audience.
The success of this recording from a live recital owes much to the Sony engineers overcoming the tricky acoustics of the big Musikverein hall to produce a superlatively natural sound. The magisterial Steinway has great presence yet clearly is allowed to play into the hall's acoustic without microphones inside the lid. All the energy with which it excites the space is faithfully recorded in a sonic aura, enriching the piano timbre considerably. The lowest octaves resound impressively with the company's trademark basso growl, and the highest octave gleams incisively but without the slightest distortion of upper partials. In stereo, the result is remarkably realistic. With multichannel 5.1, tiny incidental noises from the audience inform the brain of the instrument's acoustic space, as do the brief periods of applause after the major works and at the beginning of Disc 2. I'm very pleased that the producers did not attempt to remove all applause and attempt to present this as studio-bound, because the illusion of being in the best seat of the house at that recital is utterly convincing.
Undoubtedly the best piano recital record I have come across from 2009, and a set to cherish.
Tracks:
SACD1:
Alexander Scriabin
01. Prélude, Op.37/1 - 2:01
02. Prélude, Op.11/16 - 2:16
03. Dance languide, Op.51/4 (from Pieces for Piano, Op.51) - 1:04
04. Guirlandes, Op.73/1 (from Pieces for Piano, Op.51) - 3:14
05. Piano Sonata No.7, Op.64 "White Mass" - 12:21
Maurice Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
06. I. Modéré - 1:22
07. II. Assez lent - 2:18
08. III. Modéré - 1:19
09. IV. Assez animé - 1:02
10. V. Presque lent - 1:15
11. VI. Assez vif - 0:41
12. VII. Moins vif - 2:48
13. VIII. Epilogue (Lent) - 4:38
SACD2:
Robert Schumann: Waldszenen, Op.82
01. I. Eintritt im Walde - 2:04
02. II. Jäger auf der Lauer - 1:25
03. III. Einsame Blumen - 2:13
04. IV. Verrufene Stelle - 3:20
05. V. Freundliche Landschaft - 1:11
06. VI. Herberge - 2:02
07. VII. Vogel als Prophet - 2:48
08. VIII. Jagdlied - 2:23
09. IX. Abschied - 4:14
10. Franz Liszt: Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata (Années de pèlerinage II, S.161 No.7) - 16:58
Encores
11. Johann Sebastian Bach: Sicilienne (from Concerto in D minor, BWV 596) - 3:25
12. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Children's Songs, Op.54: X. Berceuse - 3:27
13. Alexander Scriabin: Feuille d'album, Op.45/1 (from Pieces for Piano, Op. 45) - 1:58
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