Vladimir Horowitz wondered if an instrument of Chopin’s time was better suited to that composer’s music than a modern concert grand with its relatively heavier action. Possibly so, but the pianist in turn must be well suited to Chopin, and Arthur Schoonderwoerd proves just as nitpicky, mannered, and musically uninteresting as with previous releases (for example, type Q3013 in Search Reviews).
Certainly the pronounced registral differentiation and quick resonant decay characterizing Schoonderwoerd’s 1836 vintage Pleyel holds unique attraction, while the pianist’s keen ear for inner-voice movement in the A-flat Ballade and B-flat minor Op. 9 No. 1 Nocturne deserve acknowledgment. However, Schoonderwoerd’s flaccid rhythm and prosaic phrasing at the outset of the C-sharp minor Prelude and B major Op. 9 No. 2 Nocturne accurately indicate the boring playing to come, to say nothing of the E-flat’s inelegantly shaped melodic decorations. Although the First and Fourth Ballades begin with just the right atmosphere and narrative flow, Schoonderwoerd’s labored, ultra-careful navigation of both works’ codas lacks even a smidgen of bravura and virtuosic flair. The murky sonics don’t help. Or do they? Is it worth spending your hard-earned money to find out? [7/22/2009]
