In 2009 Bridge Records released a CD with Vassily Primakov playing 21 Chopin Mazurkas. I found his pronounced subjectivity and interpretive leeway either convincing and insightful or perverse and indecisive, depending on the piece. Still, Primakov’s fabulous technique, ear for tone color, and strong personality held my attention, and I wondered if more Chopin Mazurkas were in the pipeline. Fast forward to 2014 and the Yamaha Artists Salon in New York, where Primakov set down a Mazurka cycle for his own LP Classics label, containing all of the works in this genre with opus numbers, plus the A minor “Notre Temps” and “À Émile Gaillard” pieces.
If anything, Primakov’s Mazurka style has intensified over time. There is additional nuance and inflection within phrases, more variety of dynamics and accentuation, and extra rhythmic pliability. The F minor Op. 7 No. 3, for example, now gains in thrust and abandon. By contrast, the lyrical, harmonically intricate A minor Op. 17 No. 3’s long lines are italicized to a greater degree, yet Primakov’s stronger melodic projection carries the music forward. The cannily proportioned rubatos of Primakov’s earlier C-sharp minor Op. 50 No. 3 now take on additional coloration via the sustain pedal and a few strategically placed dynamic surges.
Here and there I detect phrases borne out of mannerism rather than intent. The B major Op. 41 No. 3 demonstrates what I mean; here Primakov consistently hesitates before arriving at the top note of an upward phrase and tapering it. Once or twice is fine, but by the third and fourth time the gesture gets old. Yet there’s nothing remotely generic or predictable regarding Primakov’s F minor Op. 68 No. 2, as he gauges the harmonic tension with sophistication and inevitability as the melodies float over the bar lines. While one might expect the F major Op. 68 No. 3’s folk-like Trio section to scintillate and take wing, Primakov does the opposite, and assiduously slips back into the main theme to magical effect. If Primakov’s Mazurkas won’t suit all tastes at all times, his best moments are worth any serious Chopin lover’s time and investment.
