Maria-João Pires'
Chopin recital is not characterized by super-virtuoso, hyper-emotional playing, but her approach is deeply musical and profoundly expressive.
Pires has put together an ingenious program, ranging from
Chopin's masterful B minor Piano Sonata to the soulful G minor Cello Sonata, and including the final sets of nocturnes, mazurkas and waltzes, as well as the magnificent Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat major. Throughout,
Pires' playing is exemplary. Her technique is impeccable -- nary a note goes awry even in the B minor Sonata's Molto vivace Scherzo -- but this is the least of her successes. More important is her balance of the composer's lyrical melodies with his chromatic harmonies, so that the expressivity of the melody is supported and enhanced, but never overshadowed by the intensity of the harmonies. Most important is
Pires' uncanny ability to use phrasing and rubato without compromising the underlying rhythmic pulse of the music. The effortlessly flowing C sharp minor Waltz, Op. 64/2, or the achingly beautiful Mazurka in F minor, Op. 68/4, are fine examples of
Pires' approach to
Chopin. Cellist
Pavel Gomziakov's ardent but restrained reading of the Cello Sonata ideally fits with
Pires' playing. As always with this pianist, Deutsche Grammophon's sound is transparent and present.