This is a remarkable album, not only for the repertoire,
for we finally get to hear some of Bartók's transcriptions, but
also for the pianism and musicianship of Petronel Malan.
I must confess that the name has hitherto escaped my attention.
Ms Malan (above) was born in South Africa into a political
family of French Huguenot descent. Her mother was an opera
singer and she studied piano with her from the age of four,
later receiving lessons from the late South African pedagogue
Adolph Hallis and debuting with the Johannesburg Symphony at the
age of ten playing Kabalevsky's Youth Concerto. Since then she
has won gold medals at various levels and according to the
biography in the sleeve notes, won virtually every competition
she has taken part in since.
Listening to this album, you can see why. Tone, temperament and
technique Malan has in abundance, but digital brilliance and
independence are put to the service of the music, and the
counterpoint holds no terrors for Malan, without having to
resort to the sometimes gimmicky style playing style of Glenn
Gould.
Comparisons
with her contemporaries are inevitable, and the Canadian pianist
Angela Hewitt's (right) name immediately springs to mind. I
think it's premature to say very much about how Malan would play
other repertoire, but I would go so far as to say that she's in
the very least as interesting as Hewitt, without sounding as
cultured, perhaps, for some reason, but with slightly more
temperamental playing, and always tasteful.
The
transcriptions on this disc comprise mainly of those by the
great Polish pianist Ignaz Friedman (left) - there are ten by
him. These include the now-spurious d-minor Toccata and Fugue,
BWV565 (not quite as interesting as that by Tausig, perhaps,
especially when it's Earl Wild who plays it). Friedman doesn't
really dress up the music in his own musical style - many of the
transcriptions are straightforward - the first movement of the
third Brandenburg concerto, for instance, and "Sheep may safely
graze" BWV208. Elsewhere he takes the music as the starting
point and elaborates on it, for example in the Bourree from the
First Violin Partita BWV1002. An impish sense of humour emerges
in the Gavotte en Rondeau from the third violin partita. Malan
negotiates the difficult thirds and sixths and octaves with no
problems at all, and the music bristles and sparkles. The
transcriptions of slow movements are elegant and beautiful.
The
remainder of the transcriptions comprise the world premiere
recordings of Dinu Lipatti and Bela Bartok -- the Pastorale in F
major for Organ BWV590 and Sonata No.6 in G major for Organ
BWV530 respectively. Not surprisingly, they are quite faithful
to the original. No one could play Bach like Lipatti and I'm
glad we have the chance to hear a transcription by him - it is
like a reflection through the eyes of the great pianist. Bela
Bartok was no slouch - many who knew him, including Gyorgy
Sandor considered him the equal of the great composer-pianists.
His transcription is invigorating.
This disc was sheer joy to listen to from start to finish,
and I highly recommend it. Hurry up, Haenssler, and record more
of Petronel Malan in anything you can get her to record!
