In 2006, Welsh pianist
Llyr Williams made his first commercial recording for Quartz and opened with the 24 Preludes of
Frédéric Chopin.
Williams' interpretations of these miniatures are matter-of-fact and concise, and utterly lacking in grand-standing, much as the composer is thought to have played them. If the secret to playing
Chopin is a combination of modest, close-to-the-vest expression and light execution, with minimal pedaling and a fairly crisp tone, then
Williams appears to have mastered it. This is not to say his sound is always delicate, because he produces a massive volume in the Prelude No. 14 in E flat minor, and offers ample fire in the Prelude No. 24 in D minor. To fill out his program,
Williams includes the Nocturne, Op. 48/1, the Ballade, Op. 52, and the Scherzo, Op. 31, which are all substantial works of moderate length and far from routine CD filler. Again,
Williams cultivates constrained emotion and renders these pieces with a calculated control that makes the surges of dynamics and energy all the more effective. The audio of the recordings is clean and natural, with the piano carefully miked to optimize the instrument's resonance in a dry acoustic.