In 2002 I favorably reviewed Sally Pinkas’ sensitive and perceptive Fauré Nocturnes cycle released on the Musica Omnia label. Her MSR disc containing the composer’s complete Barcarolles proves equally masterful and compelling. The “ample, full-bodied tone and confident yet never aggressive projection” I cited in Pinkas’ Nocturnes remain strong assets here.
What is more, she spins gorgeously-nuanced legato lines and achieves lucidly-contoured balances between melody and accompaniment with little help from the sustain pedal, so that the textures are both ample and transparent at the same time. Good examples of this include the waltz-like No. 1, the elusive No. 6 with its constantly shifting harmonies, and No. 12’s middle-register ostinato that oddly foreshadows Stephen Sondheim’s “Send In the Clowns”. Indeed, it’s interesting to contrast her more lilting and lyrically pliable approach to the unsettling No. 5 or the bleaker No. 13 alongside Charles Owen’s stricter metrics.
Pinkas’ husband and piano duo partner Evan Hirsch joins in for Fauré’s Dolly Suite in a performance that bristles with vitality (the second and sixth movements, especially) without sacrificing ensemble polish. The sonics are fine, although the close-up detailing sometimes turns strident in louder moments. Recommended.
