Many pianists treat Liszt’s so-called “Dante” sonata as an arena for strutting their loud and fast octaves. Mykola Suk, however, transforms pyrotechnical issues into an orchestral tone poem, and his spacious treatment of the lyrical passages touchingly evokes the music’s tragic longing. Even the most percussive writing in Bartók’s Out of Doors suite emerges with timbral variety and expressive color. Listen to the final movement’s ambidextrous polyrhythms: they almost sound as if both hands are playing on two separate instruments.
Suk judges the polystylistic moodshifts to perfection in three movements from Silvestrov’s 1954 Naïve Music. And his Beethoven Op. 33 Bagatelles will delight even the pickiest pianophile: they’re technically masterful (try No. 2’s delectable double notes for size!) and they breathe character and contrast. For some reason, Cambria’s roomy engineering doesn’t convey as much dynamic impact as expected, but you still can tell that an intelligent and truly musical virtuoso is at work. Recommended with pleasure. [2/14/2003]
