Chopin’s Mazurkas allow wide interpretive leeway, and Vassily Primakov takes advantage of this fact, with variable success. He’s best when his rubatos are proportioned and harmonically meaningful, as in the sublime C-sharp minor Op. 50 No. 3, or when his astute attention to detail justifies a slightly unorthodox conception, such as the broadly paced A minor Op. 68 No. 2 or the C minor Op. 56 No. 3’s intensified dynamic inflections. Some of his rhythmic distensions stick out like sore thumbs, as in Op. 24 No. 4’s major-key section, or in the C-sharp minor Op. 63 No. 3’s indecisive tempo shifts.
Yet at other times Primakov’s genuine musical insights give credence to an unusual tenuto, ritardando, accent, or phrase shape. I appreciate how the pianist’s angular parsing of the A minor Op. 67 No. 4’s right-hand melody carries the listener over Chopin’s bar lines. Also note the pianist’s convincing underlining of the C major Op. 24 No. 2’s tangy modal touches and imaginative modulations. While Primakov’s Chopin Mazurkas may not satisfy all tastes for all times, you can’t deny his fabulous technique and considerable tonal resources, beautifully reproduced according to Bridge’s highest production standards.
