Because Cecile Licad has made relatively few solo recordings over the course of her career, Newton Classics’ reissue of her 1989 Schumann recital (originally on CBS Masterworks) surely will interest this pianist’s admirers, of which I am one. That said, I’ve often found Licad’s playing more largely scaled, impassioned, and communicative in front of an audience than in the studio, where she tends to hold back or fuss over details. Her Carnaval is a case in point.
The Préambule is impressively accurate, yet too dry for the music’s giddy sweep to kick in; the accelerandos in Pierrot’s unison fortes sound nervous rather than expressive; and while Licad can’t decide on a basic pulse for Valse noble (the elegantly judged Valse allemande is another story), Arlequin’s right-hand leaps hit their mark with laser-like accuracy. She follows “tradition” instead of Schumann’s directives by playing Chopin’s repeat softly, yet delivers as forthright and assured a Paganini movement as possible, with uncommonly clear left-hand accents. Her rubatos genuinely flow in Aveu, but dissipate momentum in the final movement.
Papillons convinces most in the sparklingly articulated No. 9 Prestissimo and the lean, incisively shaped sixth piece. Elsewhere, I miss the warmer whimsy and tonal shadings Murray Perahia brought to his recording for the same label. While every note of the demanding Toccata is firmly in place, helped by a tempo that is neither too fast nor too slow, Richter’s superior projection and more palpable dynamic contrasts remain a fact of life. Notwithstanding some striking moments, this recording does not do Licad’s artistry justice on the level of her stunning 2003 Gottschalk CD release for Naxos, not to mention her best live performances today.
