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CD Reviews: Nash Ensemble and Angela Hewitt offer two different takes on Robert Schumann

By John Terauds on May 15, 2012

Canadians get a two-month jump on Angela Hewitt’s new recording of Robert Schumann Piano Concerto (Luca d’Agostino photo).

ANGELA HEWITT
Schumann Piano Concerto (Hyperion)

The Mayor of Ottawa has declared this to be Angela Hewitt Week, in honour of a native daughter who has become one of the world’s most respected pianists.

Among her many appearances in our nation’s capital this week, she will perform the music from this new album (not being released in the rest of the world until July) with the Chamber Players of Canada on Sunday.

Hewitt is a performer with a clear, distinctive style that’s highly articulated and superbly polished. In a sea of talented pianists of all ages, having an instantly recognizable sound is a remarkable accomplishment, in and of itself.

But, as with any artist with an unmistakable signature, Hewitt’s interpretations can be a love-or-hate proposition.

I find Hewitt’s Bach to be magical. She is a master at rummaging through the counterpoint to find something that sings.

Romantic repertoire is another matter altogether, for me.

Yes, Hewitt brings breathtaking clarity to the music of Robert Schumann. His piano work does not always fall readily to hand; it takes hours and hours of work — and Hewitt’s interpretations are technically flawless and expertly coloured.

But the intense calculations that yield great Bach, have lead to interpretations of Schumann’s ever-popular Op. 54 Piano Concerto and two other, later, grand pieces for piano and orchestra that lack warmth at their core.

The wonderful efforts of Finnish star conductor Hannu Lintu and the golden-sounding strings and woodwinds German Symphony Orchestra of Berlin can’t overcome this.

Hewitt has filled out the disc with two shorter, later works by Schumann. She uses the second one, Introduction and Concert-Allegro, Op. 134, to really cut loose. Some of the crashing chords near the beginning of this showpiece are so strong as to be physically palpable on your sofa.

If you’re a fan of Hewitt’s way of approaching Schumann, this album will not disappoint.

For all the details, notes and audio samples, click here.

The Nash Ensemble of London will be resident at the Toronto Summer Music Festival from July 26 to Aug. 5.

NASH ENSEMBLE
Schumann Chamber Music (Hyperion)

Every note on this album confirms why The Nash Ensemble of London, a longtime resident at Wigmore Hall, is one of the world’s finest groups of chamber players.

This generous, 16-piece collection of pieces for piano and various solo instruments is a showcase of elegant, insightful interpretations, starting with the Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70, for French horn and piano and ending with the Violin Sonata No. 1.

All of the soloists, which also include oboe, clarinet and viola, bring a round-edged sensibility to this Romantic music written between 1849 and 1853. Yes, there are contrasts, especially in pieces like Adagio and Allegro, which opens in languor and ends in virtuosic oomph. But there is a metaphorical fireside somewhere close by at all times.

This is Romantic chamber music at its most golden.

For all the details, notes and audio samples, click here.

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The piano and string members of the Nash Ensemble are coming to this year’s Toronto Summer Music Festival. Their concerts include a programme of French music and one of English music, with tenor Colin Ainsworth.

The English programme will include one of my very favourite chamber pieces, Edward Elgar’s Piano Quintet. Here they are, from a previous Hyperion recording, performing the Adagio movement:

John Terauds

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