I had no idea that a Steinway D concert grand could sound so dry, flinty, and dynamically constricted until I heard this drably reproduced disc. Within these (sub)sonic parameters pianist Margaret Wacyk (a pupil of Mordecai Shehori, whom she considers her most influential teacher) proves to be a Schumann player who likes to emphasize Fantastiestücke’s syncopated accents and myriad inner voices, particularly in the left hand when material is repeated. But her inelegant, choppy, and labored phrasing (especially in technically demanding pieces like Aufschwung and Traumes Wirren) leaves much to be desired, to say nothing of her square, prosaic Des Abends and clunky, heavy-handed way with Ende von Lied’s outer sections.
Picky articulation and little sense of line suck all the scintillation and drama out of Chopin’s B-flat minor Scherzo. At least Wacyk musters enough energy for the coda, but it’s a case of too little too late. And Wacyk’s accurate yet timid Scriabin Fourth rarely approaches world-class standards (i.e. Ashkenazy and Hamelin). Happily, the Clementi sonata finds the pianist’s fingers on solid, comfortable ground, and she handles the finale’s difficult double notes with admirable fluidity. Take this release for an artist’s calling-card rather than as serious catalog competition.
