Ekaterina Derzhavina’s Palexa recording of the Medtner Op. 1 Stimmungsbilder improved as it progressed, culminating in strong, supple, and well-characterized accounts of the final four pieces. Her studio remake benefits from a superior instrument and world-class sonics, plus subtler layers of nuance and textural differentiation on the pianist’s part. Derzhavina’s generally robust and emphatic pianism convinces most when Medtner’s music takes on wistful, somber overtones, as in the D minor Sonata-Elegie, the Marche Funébre from the Op. 31 Three Pieces, and the first of the Op. 39 Forgotten Melodies. However, Marc-André Hamelin’s astonishing keyboard proficiency, lighter touch, and classical poise impart far more shape and tonal variety to both Forgotten Melodies cycles, as even the most superficial and fleeting comparisons bear out. In sum, Stimmungsbilder alone merits my unqualified recommendation, but this may not be enough to justify purchase of this release as a whole, especially if you already have Hamelin.
