简介：
As some of you already have read in my reviews of Chopin albums, I strongly believe that the single finest album of Chopin that I have heard in over 65 years is Nelson Freire’s account of the Nocturnes. Quite recently I reviewed his Opus 25 Etudes and Piano Sonata No. 3 and found the Sonata 3 to be the finest performance I have heard. I had almost the same reaction to the Opus 25 Etudes, but I left a sliver of room for someone to perform them even better. I have now his account of the Opus 10 Etudes, Opus 60 Barcarolle, and Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor on Decca. The works were recorded in December 2004, and his piano was a Steinway.
Generally, Freire is again the leader of the pack where the Opus 25 Etudes are concerned, and he performs them superbly – even magically in most cases. I do, however, have minor quibbles with his interpretation of two of them. In Etude No. 11 in E-flat major he allows the broken chords to be too dominant and thereby obscure the melodic line in the body of the Etude. In Etude No. 12 in C minor his articulation of the octave melody in the second and third time around is obscured and it appears he misses the critical differentiation between them and the first “verse.” (I can’t actually believe he missed the octaves, but rather the pedaling more likely obscured them. Either way, a significant flaw at the worst point.) I have noted before that in very fast runs, Freire lets things spiral out of control slightly. This appears to be another case in point, only this time with octaves. Other than those two quibbles, Freire performs the Opus 25 Etudes almost magically. Yes, I am leaving the door open for a better performance. He DOES, however, perform the Opus 10’s superbly or magically with the two exceptions noted above.
The Barcarolle Opus 20 in F-sharp major is performed as well as I have heard – with the notable exception of Vanessa Perez in her album with the Preludes on Telarc. I reviewed that disc a few days ago. While her Preludes are a bit uneven (but often magical), I believe she could be a coming great as a Chopin interpreter. With regard to the Barcarolle, Perez is better able to glamorize this astonishing piece. Her coda is just absolutely glorious to the point that it brought me to tears.
In the B minor Sonata 2, Freire gives a bold, virile performance. Maybe a bit too bold. The interpretation is otherwise sublime. Freire has the ability to shade tempo in a way that sounds completely “right.” His 1st movement is where my issue of too bold occurs. The 2nd movement has the right balance of bold and finesse. The Piu lento is heavenly performed. The funeral march of the 3rd movement suffers from pedaling that diminishes the definition of the initial bass. The Andante-like section, however, is absolutely sublime. The Finale’s presto is played like the wind, figuratively and literally. Wow!
Freire’s Preludes may be the best yet. His Barcarolle is a runner-up to Perez. The Sonata is superb with the exception of the pedaling in the 3rd movement. Summary judgment: VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED disc!!!
曲目：
Chopin: études (12), Op. 10 27:14
No.1 in C major 1:56
No.2 in A minor 1:25
No.3 in E Major 4:05
No.4 in C sharp minor 2:04
No.5 in G flat major 1:30
No.6 in E flat minor 3:34
No.7 in C major 1:27
No.8 in F major 2:11
No.9 in F minor 1:55
No.10 in A flat major 2:11
No.11 in E flat major 2:27
No.12 in C minor 2:29
Chopin: Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60 7:30
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 ‘Marche funèbre’ 21:48
1. Grave – Doppio movimento 6:59
2. Scherzo – Più lento – Tempo I 5:58
3. Marche funèbre (Lento) 7:26
4. Finale (Presto) 1:25
Total time: 56:32
