Angela Hewitt - Frederic Chopin The Complete Nocturnes & Impromptus (2004) 2CDs

Prohibitive · Jun 13, 2022

Angela Hewitt has applied the same intense study to Chopin's Nocturnes and Impromptus as she does to any composer's keyboard works. The result is a set of pieces lovingly played and appreciated, with personally felt emotion. The most outwardly emotional displays, as in the Nocturnes, Op. 15, are never wildly loud and always return to an introverted state afterward. In the Nocturnes she uses little touches of rubato so frequently as to almost stretch the melodies out of shape, as in Op. 9/1, but she plays many of the Nocturnes a tick faster than other pianists so that they stand up to that kind of manipulation better, and she never slows down to fit in ornaments. Her ornaments always fit right into the melody, both in her timing and her phrasing, and are feathery soft. She applies that same softness to the outer sections of the Nocturnes, Op. 27, for a lustrous blend of color. The Impromptus are a little more outgoing, but still heartfelt and uncomplicated. The "Fantasy-Impromptu" opening is impressively fast and smooth, with a good anchoring bass line. The middle section, like the Nocturnes, has those tiny, frequent rubatos to give it particular detail. Hewitt's readings are highly personalized, yet wholly musical.

Review by Patsy Morita, Allmusic.com

In her superbly insightful program notes for this release, Angela Hewitt reminds us that Chopin, while deeply influenced by the Italian bel canto tradition in opera, was essentially a Classicist, with Bach and Mozart as his primary models. The florid, perfumed Nocturnes might seem a world away from Mozart, but there is a firm structure, and a rhythmic rigor that, beyond the streams of glistening musical pearls, glues this gorgeous music together. It is in that spirit that Hewitt gives us this very wonderful music. She keeps her rubato on a relatively short leash, and employs moderate tempos that keep the music moving. Thus, her performances do not evoke the sensuality of Rubenstein, the deep wisdom of Horszowski, the lushness of Horowitz, or the brilliant delicacy of Moravec. Yet, within her apparently more constricted manner there are worlds to discover. Hewitt's chief technical skill is exquisite dynamic control, a tremendous asset in this music. Her phrases are shaped with a fineness that is rivaled only by Moravec. Repeated listening does not bring fatigue but more insight, as there are so many corners to peer around in these seemingly endlessly variegated structures. I'm not going to stop listening to my aforementioned favorite recordings of these pieces, but this new recording easily joins those ranks, and might be the best all around choice for a first time purchaser. The sound is certainly a major factor in such a decision. This is perfect material to show off the merits of SACD, a recording process that allows for subtle, but unmistakable enhancements in dynamic and color shading over standard digital recording.

Review by Peter Burwasser, FANFARE

Tracklist:

Fr?d?ric Chopin (1810-1849)

CD1 (01:08:40)

01. Nocturne in C sharp minor Op.posth. (3:53)
02. Nocturne in C minor Op.posth. (2:46)
03. Nocturne in B flat minor Op.9 No.1 (5:59)
04. Nocturne in E flat major Op.9 No.2 (4:35)
05. Nocturne in B major Op.9 No.3 (6:21)
06. Nocturne in F major Op.15 No.1 (4:47)
07. Nocturne in F sharp major Op.15 No.2 (3:32)
08. Nocturne in G minor Op.15 No.3 (3:35)
09. Nocturne in C sharp minor Op.27 No.1 (5:41)
10. Nocturne in D flat major Op.27 No.2 (6:05)
11. Nocturne in B major Op.32 No.1 (4:48)
12. Nocturne in A flat major Op.32 No.2 (5:21)
13. Nocturne in G minor Op.37 No.1 (6:19)
14. Nocturne in G major Op.37 No.2 (4:57)

CD2 (01:04:13)

01. Nocturne in C minor Op.48 No.1 (7:16)
02. Nocturne in F sharp minor Op.48 No.2 (6:56)
03. Nocturne in F minor Op.55 No.1 (4:39)
04. Nocturne in E flat major Op.55 No.2 (4:57)
05. Nocturne in B major Op.62 No.1 (7:30)
06. Nocturne in E major Op.62 No.2 (6:09)
07. Nocturne in E minor Op.72 No.1 (4:55)
08. Impromptu No.1 in A flat major Op.29 (4:20)
09. Impromptu No.2 in F sharp major Op.36 (6:20)
10. Impromptu No.3 in G flat major Op.51 (5:48)
11. Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor Op.66 (5:22)

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Angela Hewitt - Frederic Chopin The Complete Nocturnes & Impromptus (2004) 2CDs

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