As a Messiaen scholar and interpreter, Paul Kim’s affinity for, understanding of, and pianistic command of the composer’s singular idiom admirably manifest themselves throughout Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jesus. The slower, more meditative, block-like pieces (Nos. 1, 7, 9, 11, 15, & 19) are particularly well sustained by virtue of Kim’s care in scaling the composer’s meticulously differentiated dynamic extremes. And Kim also is all there when scintillation and power are called for (No. 6’s rhythmic counterpoint, No. 18’s cathartic climaxes, and numerous other instances).
Had this release appeared in the early 1970s it easily would have held its own among competing editions by John Ogdon, Jocy D’Oliveira, and Yvonne Loriod. The situation differs today. Compared to the more tonally alluring (and cheaper) Håkon Austbø traversal for Naxos, Centaur’s drier sonics and Kim’s less nuanced pianism seem less attractive on the surface. However, should the full-priced Osborne (Hyperion) and Aimard (Teldec) reference recordings, with their ravishing engineering and overwhelming artistic finesse, suddenly vanish from the earth, never to be heard again, I’d have no problems recommending Kim, together with his brilliant, insightful annotations.
