Sang Mi Chung - Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Piano Music (2005)

To those today who recognize the name Ignace Jan Paderewski, he is one of those old-school piano virtuosi. A few people would know, beyond that, that he was Poland's first prime minister. But fewer people still would know him as a composer of anything other than that quaint Minuet. This disc by Sang Mi Chung samples his solo piano compositions, including his Sonata and, of course, the Minuet. The first two selections on the disc -- the Mélodie, Op. 8/3, and Chant d'amour, Op. 10/2 -- are surprisingly tame, given Paderewski's reputation as a compelling performer and the fact that they were written before he was 40 years old. In fact, most of these smaller pieces seem to reflect more a desire to appease and sell publications to home players than Paderewski's personality. They are firmly in the Romantic idiom, full of passion, heroism, and dreaminess by turns, with occasional flashes of showiness. The happy Cracovienne fantastique represents the Romantic stylized version of a folk dance. The sonata is, naturally, more substantial. It, and the Thème varié, Op. 16/3, hold the interest better with writing that is more concise and purposeful. Chung certainly understands where these pieces are coming from. She has an easygoing way with the showier passages that results in rippling scales and elegant ornaments. She knows that the smaller works are ephemera compared to the dramatic material in the sonata. Even so, there is an intensity, and in the final movement, speed, that seems to be missing or isn't coming through in the recording, which would make the sonata a better reflection of Paderewski's persona.

Review by Patsy Morita