In recent years Berlin Classics has tapped into pianist Peter Rösel’s sizable discography of East German recordings, making them more widely available to Western listeners. This multi-disc anthology offers much to enjoy. A superb Bach/Busoni recital features bracing, assertive, and cogently colored performances of the D minor Chaconne, D major Prelude and Fugue, and C major Toccata, Adagio and Fugue. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme stands out among four Chorale Prelude transcriptions, where Rösel shades the outer lines and tenor chorale melody in distinct timbres that seem to emanate from two different instruments. Intimate drama and pearly passagework distinguish Beethoven’s Op. 31 Nos. 2 and 3, as well as astutely-timed tempo fluctuations in the Op. 78 sonata’s finale. For my taste, the Hammerklavier sonata’s first movement is too sedate and rounded off and the Scherzo is insufficiently caustic. But Rösel compensates by way of gorgeously spun cantabiles in the Adagio and unflagging energy in his sharply articulated Fugue.
I enjoyed Rösel’s full-bodied, naturally singing way with Mozart’s Duport Variations as well as the F major K. 533/494 and B-flat K. 570 sonatas. However, some listeners might prefer more lightness and transparency. The same holds true for Rösel’s Debussy (the Children’s Corner, Suite bergamasque, and Estampes), although his heavy-handed, lethargic Claire de lune and insistent, percussive Jardins sous la pluie disappoint, as do his less-than-inspired Schumann Papillons and Symphonic Etudes.
Harsh, metallic sonics make Rösel’s lackluster Stravinsky Circus Polka and Three Movements from Petrouchka all the more difficult to endure in one sitting. However, a Schubert recital juxtaposing rarities (the “Graz” Fantasy, A major Minuet and Trio D. 334, Two Scherzi D. 593, and E major Adagio D. 612) with more familiar fare (the C minor Allegretto D. 915 and the Three Klavierstücke D. 946) inspires Rösel’s lyrical instincts to shine. I previously covered Rösel’s Mussorgsky and Brahms for Classicstoday.com, and you can access my favorable comments by clicking Q9134 and Q5492 in Search Reviews. Ultimately the Berlin Classics Peter Rösel collection may be too hefty an investment for general collectors to consider, yet its high points warrant serious attention.
