In Brahms’ Op. 10 Ballades Nicholas Angelich leaves a mixed impression similar to his earlier live recording issued as part of a VAI compilation, although Virgin Classics’ studio engineering claims the upper hand. The pianist continues to exaggerate the dotted rhythm in the “Edward” Ballade’s main theme, and he still meanders through No. 2’s outer sections. Next to the rock-solid rhythmic focus of Rubinstein, Michelangeli, Gould, and Hough, Angelich sounds relatively heavy-handed in No. 3. Happily, he positively shines in No. 4, imparting a greater sense of gravity to the inner voices and sustaining the music’s ruminative sensibility with a steadier basic pulse than on his earlier reading.
Angelich also is at his best in the Op. 79 Rhapsodies, playing them in the broad Kempff manner (albeit without that master’s unmatched polyphonic acumen) as opposed to Stephen Kovacevich’s gaunt, fire-and-brimstone approach. Angelich certainly boasts the technique and stamina to get through the Paganini Variations without a hitch, along with an earnest attitude that never makes a stunt of the music. This particularly holds true in the slower, lyrical variations. That said, I miss the variety of color and touch that distinguish similar-minded (i.e. sober rather than showy) Brahms/Paganini practitioners like Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy (Brilliant Classics) and Claudio Arrau (Philips). For the Ballades and Paganini Variations coupled, Earl Wild’s uncluttered musicianship and healthy panache remain unchallenged after nearly four decades.
